


Persona Neo: Vol. 1: Fool Among all Fools

by VGJoker2015



Category: Persona Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-02 05:18:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15789732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VGJoker2015/pseuds/VGJoker2015
Summary: "Crucified at All's End. Chained between Death and Human Malice. Driven by an iron will to protect. Such is a messiah's fate." There's a tale of a boy's ascension into a great messiah. A brave soul, cursed by Death, that cared only for the lives of others. His tale never faded because it never ended. Its TRUE end is its own tale... And it's of the boy who lives for HIM.





	1. The End to Begin the End

  _There exists a sea known as Life..._

_Unpredictable, vast, beautiful…_

_Above it soars a bright burning star…_

_Its heat powerful enough to dry the sea…_

_But only in small amounts…_

_This star is known as Death…_

_Through all of time, Death has taken from Life…_

_Life continues to be because of the rain that heals it…_

_The rain known as Birth…_

_The Rain of Birth, the Sea of Life, and the Star of Death_

_Together, these three make the Triad of all Souls…_

_Existing in a natural cycle…_

_Death takes from Life and gives to Birth…_

_Birth takes from Death and gives to Life…_

_Life takes from Birth and gives to Death…_

_A natural cycle that proceeds without end…_

_However, two forces within can easily influence this cycle…_

_Light and Dark… Good and Evil…_

* * *

**Day: 1/31/2010**

**Place: Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai**

**Time: The Dark Hour**

* * *

The bright yellow full moon of the Dark Hour casts a green ominous light over Iwatodai. The streets are lined with coffins and spotted with puddles of thick red blood. Silence heavily blanks the entire city. Farther into the distance stands a grotesque tower that reaches for the corrupted moon, the roof encircled by dark clouds. Beyond hides an extraordinary event that no one will ever know; a battle the will decide the fate of all life.

On the roof of the tower, large pillars with crow statues atop each one stand along the ends. The moon is so close that it looks like it can be touched.

In the wind, enormous crow wings flap with great force.

" _The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate..._ " says an eerie voice. A strange halo-like object hovers in the air.

" _Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope…_ " A redundantly large sword is being held by a humanoid creature covered in black feathers and black armor.

" _Yet, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed…_ " The creature reaches out its left hand.

" _Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end…_ " The creature covers itself with its massive wings.

" _It matters not who you are…_ " The creature uncovers itself to reveal its dreadful, smiling pale face.

" _ **Death awaits you.**_ "

The creature stands, casting its hollow smile on a teenage boy in a school uniform, with his headphones hanging from his neck, a red armband with the acronym "S.E.E.S" printed across it on his left arm, the bang of his short, unkempt, dark blue hair covering his right eye, and a short sword in his right hand, who is favoring his right shoulder and trying to catch his breath. He glares at the creature with his fearless gray eyes, showing his unshakable will to fight.

The black feather creature raises its sword. The boy jump steps to the right to dodge the swing and runs to get enough distance to regain his ground. The creature summons a shower of ice blocks and hurls it at the boy. The boy takes a direct hit from one of them while trying to dodge the attack and kneels to the ground. The creature summons a concentrated lightning blast and uses it to attack the boy again. When the smoke clears, the boy is not hurt, but a blonde haired girl with robot appendages and bearing the same armband as him has taken the hit. The boy rushes to her as she drops to the ground. The robot girl turns to him.

"Ngh! A-Are you alright?" she asks with a strained voice. Suddenly, the creature prepares to strike with its sword.

"Oh, no ya don't!" an unknown man's voice yells. From the left, a mysterious being with wings comes and blocks the attack. From afar, names are called out.

" _ **Artemisia!**_ "

" _ **Caesar!**_ "

" _ **Kala-Nemi!**_ "

Three spirits, one with a whip, one with a robot body, and the one with a world globe in its left hand, unleash a combined ice/lightning attack and knock the creature back. The three-headed dog spirit rushes past the three and jumps to bite the creature on its left arm to distract it. An older boy with white hair, a red vest with a long sleeve white undershirt, black pants, leather shoes, and brass knuckles, once again sporting the same armband, roars as he rushes in with the spirit with the globe to help.

A spirit that looks like an Egyptian crown with a bull motif wraps its wings around the boy and the robot girl and disperses a healing aura to heal them. Two girls rush over; one older woman with dark red hair, wearing a blouse, red ribbon, black skirt, and high-heel boots, wielding a rapier, and one light brown haired girl wearing a pink sweater jacket, red ribbon, black skirt, black stockings, and brown shoes, with an arrow quiver on her back and wielding a large bow, both of them sporting the same armband.

"Are you two alright?" the woman with the rapier asks.

"Come on! Hang in there!" yells the girl with bow. A white dog with a yellow shirt with wings on its back and a mechanical collar, clenching a knife its teeth, and a small boy with light brown hair, wearing a school jacket, orange hoodie underneath, black shorts, knee socks, and white sneakers, wielding a naginata, rushes past the group of four.

"Sanada-san!" the younger boy yells. The boy with vest, who the younger boy called Sanada, quickly dodges the creatures sword attacks. He jumps back to get some distance and glares at the creature.

" _You cannot avoid death,_ " the creature says. " _To live is to die; they are one in the same._ " A scruffy looking boy in a school uniform, wearing a baseball cap, wielding a katana, and sporting the same armband comes rushing in.

"Don't you know when to shut the hell up?!" he yells. The boy ducks to dodge the creature's side swing. The younger boy uses his staff to pole vaults into the air to attack while the dog jumps to attack with its knife. Suddenly, an aura appears around the creature.

"Huh?!" When his attacks connects, the aura fires a powerful blast at the boy and the dog at point blank range.

"Ken! Koromaru!" Sanada calls out. He rushes back to the group to catch the boy while the boy with the cap picks up the dog and rushes him back to the group. An unknown girl's voice echoes through their heads.

"Everyone, hold your attacks!" she demands. At a distance from the fighting, a girl with green hair wearing a school uniform the same armband the rest of them bears uses the spirit she is inside of to relay the message.

"That barrier around Nyx is very dangerous!" she says. "It'll hurt you badly if you try to attack!" Everyone gathers together to regroup and heal the wounded. The boy with the vest helps the younger boy he called Ken.

"Ken, you alright?!" Sanada worriedly asks. Ken slowly pushes himself up.

"Ugh! That… literally came out of nowhere," he says. The dog whimpers and the girl with the bow sighs.

"Well, he sure wasn't exaggerating," she says with a weary smile. "This thing  **is**  tough." The boy with the cap smirks at her.

"He he he… Giving up already, Yuka-tan?" he chuckles.

"Hmph! Not even close!" The boy with the vest puts on a devilish smile.

"I'm glad I decided not to forget everything," he says confidently. "I've never this pumped up in my life!"

"Akihiko… itching for a battle till the very end," the woman with rapier sighs. She glares at the being the green haired girl called Nyx.

"But I do agree with you on one thing: I too stand by my decision to keep my memories," she says with pride. "We have fought so hard to protect this world from the shadows of the Dark Hour. To forget everything is to throw away everything we've fought to protect." She points her sword at Nyx.

"Ryoji warned us that Nyx is an opponent that we could not defeat, that the end of the world is imminent... but that is only his own opinion. No matter what, we will find to defeat her and prevent the Fall! And we die trying to do so, then so be it!" A surge of power envelops Nyx.

"Concentration!" the green haired girl gasps. "She's preparing to attack!" The robot girl stands.

" _ **Athena, I need your help!**_ " she cries. From her, a gladiator spirit with a shield floating around it appears and wraps the party in a strengthening aura. Nyx summon a shower of large fireballs to rain down on the party. The boy with headphones rushes out, switching his sword for something that appears to be a handgun with the same acronym as the armband etched on it. He puts it to the side of his head, finger on the trigger.

" _ **Persona!**_ " he fiercely shouts. He pulls the trigger and the blast forces out a powerful aura and he uses it to summon a spirit wearing a skull mask on its face and chain link of coffin lids on his back like a cape. It pulls out its long knife and uses it to slash apart the fire shower. The aura around Nyx fades.

"The barrier is down!" the green haired girl yells. "Now's your chance!"

"Got it!  _ **Isis!**_ " the bow girl yells. She uses an identical gun to summon her spirit and fire a blast of wind at Nyx.

" _ **Trismegistus!**_ " The boy with cap yells. He summons his spirit to fly around Nyx and attack. Caesar, Athena, the three headed dog spirit, and the coffin lids cape spirit join his in an all-out physical attack while Isis, Kala-Nemi, and Artemesia attack from a distance. This continues until Nyx tries to swat away the coffin spirit.

" _ **Change: Orpheus!**_ " the boy with earphones yells. The coffin lid cape spirit flies up to dodge and changes into a mechanical dummy spirit wielding massive lyre as its weapon. Orpheus uses the lyre to bash Nyx on the head, then pull its strings to shoot a stream of fireballs. Nyx uses her wings to blow them all back and uses Concentration.

" _Let us finish this!_ " she yells. " _It is the path of your choosing!_ " Nyx raises her sword and a red black hole appears in the sky above the party.

"Everyone, look out!" the green haired girl yells. A storm of red and black ray comes raining down, exploding with a fury. When the smoke clears, the boy with earphones is still standing, but his allies have been badly injured. Nyx towers over the boy, her shadow from the corrupted moonlight casting over him.

" _ **You**_ _were supposed_   _understand better than anyone… who I am… what kind of entity I am… And I am sure you are terrified by how absolute I am, a promised fate to all things from the moment they are born… And yet…_ " The boy hangs his head.

"... Why am I trying to resist…?" A long silence dominates the area before he chuckles.

"... You make a good point… I accept you… I know I can't avoid you forever… Me and everyone else… We're all going to die…" Nyx slowly raises her sword into the air.

"... But here's the thing…" The boy glares at her, his eyes glowing a radiant light blue, steps forth, and uses his gun to call Orpheus and the coffin lid cape spirit at the same time.

" **How**  we die…? That's  **our**  decision to make!" The two spirits start to merge together in a ball of light that deflects Nyx's sword attack. The boy shoots hand into the air and shouts a wish.

" _ **Bring us salvation! Messiah!**_ "

The ball of light disappear to reveal the result of the two spirits merging: a colorless humanoid spirit bearing his face with a pillar with wings strapped to its back and carrying the chain linked coffin top in its left hand. The boy, cloaked in light blue flames to increase his strength, draws his sword and enters a dance of blades with Nyx with Messiah providing backup, circling around her as she strikes. The boy notices her put up the dangerous barrier and backs away. He jumps back and sprints to his right as he dodges her barrages of magic attacks, drawing her attention away from his allies. She uses Concentration and raises her sword.

"Oh no… Hey, look out!" the bow girl yells. The boy stops, closes his eyes to focus, puts the gun to his head, and pulls the triggers. This time, the blast impact causes him to real back and an extraordinary mass of power erupts from him. The ground begins to shake as he floats into the air, Messiah spreading his wings and raising his hand to the sky behind him. Nyx's rays of red and black rain down on him, but with no effect. The blue haired boy crosses his arms to build up energy, then, with a devastating explosion of power, roars to unleash his most powerful attack, wrapping the entire field in divine light.

On that night... was the Messiah's Ascension...

And the tale goes on still.

* * *

_~ Memento Mori ~_

_~ Remember your death ~_

* * *

_**Persona Neo**_


	2. Arrival

In a place with an endless sea and a boundless cloudy sky, rain is pouring down from the storm clouds. The waves lightly across the water, flowing. Some sunlight pierces through the storm, casting its rays down on the sea.

Then, a unique drop of water descends from the clouds. Every drop that came before it was small, clear, and quick to drop and vanish into the sea. However, this one was much larger, filled with light blue light, and descended much, much slower. When it arrived at the sea, even when it dropped to the deepest depths of the sea, it could still be seen. Instead of drifting in the direction of the ways, it remained stationary, never moving forward.

The ocean waters turn into a sea of blacked, peppered with stars. The raindrop disperses and turns into a cloud of glowing white as it drifts forward. A mysterious voice echoes through the sea of stars.

_"Hello…? Is someone there…?"_ it asks to the cloud.

There is silence for a moment.

" _What is this…? What are you…?_ "

Silence.

_"Are you… **anything…?** "_ As it drifts, the cloud of light begins to take sapient form. It then turns into a boy with shoulder length, shaggy, yet spiky, black hair, and fair skin. The boy's eyes are closed, as if he is fast asleep.

" _Hmm… so that's what you are…_ " the unknown voice says. " _Interesting..._ "

Silence.

Large wormholes begin to open up around the boy one at a time and reveal strange images of people. People smiling together, arguing with each other, crying together, fighting demons of the dark together. All of those images were shown before they disappear, leaving the boy in the dark again.

" _You are... somehow... a part of all of this... And yet... you were never there... So strange..._ "

Once again, it was silent.

" _There is someone who needs you… desperately… Though they do not cry for release… they long for it deep down… Can you feel it…?_ "

Silence.

_"You will meet him… and he will need you… okay…?"_  

Silence.

The stars begins to glow brighter, flooding the sea of black with white.

_"Hello...? Can you hear me...? Helloooo…?"_ The space becomes engulfed in white.

* * *

**Day: Thursday, 2/28/2013**

**Place: Iwatodai Subway Train**

**Time: Afternoon**

**Weather: Partly Cloudy**

* * *

A female train staff is trying to wake up a sleeping passenger in a black hoodie with a long hood with a secret pocket to secure his dark blue RF985RK wireless headphones, synced up with the silver Audiovox RCA Lyra Slider Mp3 player in his right pocket, a red and black flame shirt, torn dark blue jeans, and white sneakers. She lightly shakes him, hearing his earphones blasting music into his head.

"Hello? Sir, can you hear me?" the train staff lady asks him. "Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" The hooded sleeping passenger groans as he slowly awakens. He scratches his head and sits up, reaching into his pocket to pause his music.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," the train staff lady says. "But it's the end of the line. I'm afraid you've probably missed your stop." The passenger seems unaffected as he stretches out and rubs the crust from his eyes. The train staff lady tiptoes up to grab his luggage on the shelf above him.

"Don't worry. It happens," she says, as if to lift the person's spirits. "I actually heard about this guy who fell asleep and ended up all the way in Yasoinaba." The lady notices something on the bag.

"Wait… this emblem... Pardon me again. Are you a university student by any chance?" The passenger nods their head.

"Oh! Ha ha ha… never mind then. You're  **supposed**  to get off here. This stop's right in front of the campus." The passenger stands to stretch again and receive his luggage. The train staff lady walks over to the train cart door beckons the passenger over.

"This is your first time here, isn't it? Come with me. I'll escort you out." The passenger follows the staff lady out of the train cart.

**xxx**

The staff lady takes the passenger above ground and to the front entrance of the train station. In front, there is a walkway to an extremely massive school campus. The sign in front says "Tatsumi Port University" in big bold letters. The staff lady points to the left.

"Boys dormitory, right?" she asks. "Second group of buildings to your left." The staff lady walks back into the train station.

"Have a great day. Oh! And welcome to TPU!" The boy, not noticing the staff lady's goodbye, scans the area before turning his music back on and proceeding to the boys dorm.

* * *

**Place: TPU: Boys Dormitory: Dorm Building Alpha**

* * *

The boy goes through the front entrance of the building. He scans the lobby before pausing his music again, going up to the front counter, and ringing the bell.

"Coming!" a male voice calls from behind the curtain. A male dorm attendant with dark blue attire steps from behind the curtain up to the counter.

"Good evening," he says with a bow. "How may I help you?" The boy pulls out his wallet to pull out a school ID card and gives it to the attendant, who gives it a thorough scan.

"Hmm… Oh, I've heard about you! You're the student they transferred here at the last minute." The attendant returns the ID card to the boy.

"Alright. Let me just duck down here and search for your file." The attendant ducks down.

Meanwhile, there is someone coming down the right staircase.

" _ **Hrgh… Tuba…"**_   a boy's voice groans. " _ **Why did it have to be Tuuuubaaaaa...?**_ "

"You okay? You didn't sprain your arm bad, did you?" asks a girl's voice. A boy with curly brown hair favoring his shoulders walks down the stairs with a brunette girl. Based on the color of their emblems, the girl is a senior class and the boy is a sophomore class.

"Nah, I think it'll be fine by tomorrow," the boy says with no confidence. "Still, it's a crime for band teachers to actually expect their students to walk around with those things everywhere!"

"I would say "They might trying to make you stronger for later on", or something like that," the girl says. "But they're  **band**  teachers, not  **PE**  teachers."

Back at the counter, the dorm attendant finds the boy at the counter's file and hands it to him.

"Here ya go," the attendant says. "And, lucky you, you get one of the complete apartments. Number 7, on the top floor. Your stuff should already be there. All you need to do is unpack." The boy takes the file and the attendant bows.

"Welcome to Tatsumi Port University. Hope you enjoy your senior term!" The boy nods and heads for the stairs, looking intently through his file.

"Anyway, again, thanks a lot, senpai!" the boy at the stairs gleefully says. "I really appreciate!"

"No problem, no problem," the girl laughs. "See ya around. And take it easy on that arm!" The boy runs back up the stairs.

As the girl starts walking, she bumps into the boy from the counter. The papers from the file scatter across the floor. The girl notices the papers and scrambles to help the boy pick them up.

"Oh, geez! I am so sorry!" she says in a panic. "I didn't see you there!" The boy takes off his long hood, revealing his spiky yet shaggy, neck-length, black hair, as he collects more of the file papers. The girl gets the rest of the papers more or less back together and hands them to him.

"H-Here ya go…" The boy takes the papers and takes a minute to sort through them. While he is rearranging, he notices the girl is staring at him.

"Huh? Oh, uh…" She shakes her head and steps back.

"Sorry, it's nothing." she says. The boy tilts his head in confusion, then shrugs and walks to the stairs.

"Oh, wait!" The boy turns to the girl.

"You're new here, right? Welcome to TPU!" The boy nods and the girl proceeds exits the building. The boy walks up the stairs to his new apartment.

* * *

**Place: TPU Boys Dorm: Dorm Building Alpha: Apartment 7**

**Time: Evening**

* * *

After unpacking all of the boxes in his apartment, the boy unloads his clothes and personal belongings in his bedroom. Finally, he takes out his school uniform and hangs on the wall. He trolls around the apartment to take a quick scan of the home that he will be staying in for his last term of college. He nods in satisfaction, takes out his phone, and crosses off two of the tasks he had on his "To Do" list app.

* * *

**To Do:**

  * ~~Arrive at TPU in Iwatodai~~
  * ~~Settle into new apartment~~ **  
**
  * Adjust to new class schedule
  * Find well-paying part time job
  * Work towards a future
  * ****Graduate!****

* * *




He looks intently at the second to last item. "Work towards a future". What kind, exactly? What goal is he supposed to work towards? ... With his academic record, he estimated that he had until next spring to figure that out.

The doorbell ringing snaps him out of reverie of deep thought and goes to answer it. He opens the door and sees a different attendant with a contract in his hand. The white hair and yellow eyes are complete attention grabbers.

"Good evening," he says with a bow. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but we neglected to inform you of this downstairs. You need to sign this contract." The boy takes the contract that is handed to him.

"Do not mind the lack of words," the attendant says with a smile. "All it dictates is that you acknowledge that consequences of your actions from this day forth are your own. For example, if you are expelled, evicted from the dorm, arrested. Aha ha... circumstances such as those. Oh, you require a pen, do you not?"

The attendant takes out a pen. The boy takes it and hesitates. He feels an ominous aura coming from this contract, but just shrugs it off as traces of anxiety from his previous thinking, signs his name, and gives the pen and contract back.

"Thank you very much," the attendant says with a bow. "We hope you enjoy your new life from this day onward."

The attendant walks away and the boy closes the door. The boy yawns and decides to get some sleep. The first day of his college senior life at a new school starts tomorrow.

* * *

**_Chapter: End_ **


	3. First Day, Deadly Night

**Place: ?**

* * *

The boy awakens face up and looking up at pitch black sky with white streaks going across it. He sits up and notices the feeling of water. He stands and looks around, but its too dark to see anything but an orange and red flame line on the horizon. He only hears the sound of waves, which tell that he is near… no, more like sitting in the middle of the ocean. He has the feeling that there is no land to be found here.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of the waves getting louder and the sound of unclear unholy whispers. Then, he feels the wind start to pick up and circle around him. He notices the area start to get brighter. He is able to see the waves whirl around him and finds himself standing middle of a whirlpool, with the water not going down as it naturally should.

As the area gets brighter, the boy looks up to see what is causing the light: an enormous meteor like object engulfed in flames, plummeting straight towards him! He doesn't move. All he does is stand where he is as the meteor gets closer. He hears one dreadful, unholy voice very clearly.

" _No man... escapes... the darkness..._ "

The boy's eyes widen as the object crashes down on him and the vast sea he stands in.

* * *

**Day: Friday, 3/1/2013**

**Place: TPU Boys Dorm: Dorm Building Alpha: Apartment 7**

**Time: Early Morning**

**Weather: Sunny**

* * *

The sound of his phone's alarm jolt the boy awake. He takes a minute to catch his breath, then wipes his face of the sweat. He groans as he rubs his eyes, then grabs his phone to turn off the alarm.

Still feeling the need to sleep, he wraps himself in his blanket like a caterpillar with a cocoon…

Then jolts back up and shrieks when he remembers it's his first day at his new school today!

* * *

**Place: TPU East Wing**

* * *

The front lobby and hallways of the five story building are filled with students either standing in groups gossiping or flowing with walking traffic to find their classes in. Some students are in casual clothing while the others are in their school uniforms, with the boys' consisting of a dark blue jackets, a black tie, a white undershirt, and black pants and shoes, and the girls' consisting of a beige blazer with school emblem pins and brown skirts, stockings and loafers. And no matter what attire they wore, everyone had different colored school emblem pins attached to their clothes (bronze for freshmen, silver for sophomores, gold for juniors, and for platinum seniors).

**xxx**

With his earphones dangling around his neck, the school uniform clad new student rushes through the third floor halls trying find his class. As he makes a sharp left, then a sharp right, he crashes into another student and falls back hard onto the ground.

" **Ow!** "

The boy groans as he rubs his tailbone, then gets to his feet and rubs his forehead.

" _ **Geez!**_ " the other student yells. "Hey, listen! We're  **all**  trying to get our classes, but...!" The boy is surprised to see that it's the same girl he bumped into yesterday. The girl seems surprised too, stopping in mid sentence.

"Oh! H-Hey, it's  **you**!" she says. The boy hesitantly waves his hand and laughs. The girl stands up, smiles, and crosses her arms.

"Oh, I get it. Got scared by the map, huh?" she asks. The boy takes the map he received before moving here and opens it to display its massiveness.

" _Ha ha ha ha!_   _Yeah~._  That got me on my first year here too!" the girl laughs. The boy hangs his head and groans.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's only your first day, right? Of course you won't know where to go right away." The girl takes out her phone and puts the screen to the boy's face.

"And plus, classes start at 8:45 and it's 8 o'clock right now. You've still got 45 minutes!" The girl puts her phone away.

"Ugh… but who am I to talk?" she groans. "I'm trying get to my class early too." The boy seems slightly surprised.

"Really?" he asks. "Why?" The girl crosses her arms.

"I haven't really been here a lot for personal reasons, so I was gonna ask someone if I could copy their notes." The girl looks at the boy and smiles.

"Hey, ya know what? I know this building pretty well. How about I show you to your class?" The boy is shocked by her offer.

"R-Really? You'd do that?" The girls smirks as she shows off her senior school emblem.

"Sure! Us seniors gotta stick together. Here, lemme see your schedule." The boy nods and hands the girl his class schedule. The girl looks surprised.

"Well, this'll be no problem," she says with a laugh. "You're actually in class with  **me**!" The girl hands back the boy's schedule.

"Let's go together then." The boy nods and follows the girl to his…  **their**  classroom.

* * *

**Place: TPU East Wing: Class 4-1**

* * *

The boy follows the girl into the classroom. Only half of the class seems to be here in this decent sized room. He follows the girl as she walks up to the teacher.

"'Mr. Omana! Good morning!" the girl calls out. The teacher turns to them.

"Oh, hello, Takeba-san!" he says to the girl. "Always good to feel your positive attitude when you enter the room." The girl giggles, then turns the boy, putting her hands behind her back.

"In case you wanna know, I'm Yukari Takeba. It's nice to meet you."

"L-Likewise," the boy says as he nods and scratches his head.

"And who's  **this?** " Omana asks. "A new student?" Takeba turns back to the teacher.

"Yeah. He just transferred here yesterday," Takeba answers. Omana gives Takeba a skeptical look.

"And how would  **you**  know that?" he asks with suspicion. "You weren't fooling around with someone in the Boys dorm, were you?" Takeba blushes.

"WHA-?! N-N-No! Nononono! Definitely not!"

"Aha ha ha ha! Calm down. I was just pulling your leg."

" _Mr. Omana~…_ " Takeba groans with a slump of her shoulders. Omana checks his student files for the boy's information.

"Now, let's see here. You're…  _Ohhh!_  It's  _ **you!**_ " Omana seems surprised.

"What? What is it?" Takeba asks curiously.

"I'll explain when class starts." Omana looks to the boy and points to the stool at the side of the doorway.

"For now, you. Why don't you take a seat in that stool over there?" he requests. "I'll introduce you when class starts." The boy nods and goes to sit in the stool as requested.

**xxx**

Later on, class starts and everyone has taken a bow.

"Good morning, class!" he cheerfully bellows. "Now, before we get started today, let's gossip for a minute." The class looks confused.

"I hear there's an interesting rumor going around the school as of late. Anyone like to explain?" Takeba looks confused.

_Huh? A rumor?_  she thinks to herself.

"Uhhh…  **you** ," Omana says while pointing to a junior girl with a ginger ponytail. The early-twenty year-old girl stands from her seat.

"Yeah. It's about this new transfer student, right?" she asks. "People are calling him the "Youthful Genius", or somethin'? They say that he's so smart that the higher ups actually decided to bump him up a year in high school. He went from a first year to a third year, I think?"

"Exactly. You may take your seat." The ponytail girl sits down.

"The rumor is, in fact, true. I've actually been looking forward to meeting the young man myself... And now, I  **have**." The class begins to commerce. Mr. Omana looks in the boy's direction and signals him to come up. The boy sheepishly steps up to the podium, uncomfortable with the spotlight being cast on him. The class is silent as Mr. Omana lightly pats his back.

"The Youthful Genius... is actually the newest member of our class." The class is in awe.

_**That**  _ _kid?!_

_Wow, he really_ _**does** _ _look super young to be a college senior!_

_Then again, there_   _ **are** __some old timers runnin' around the school too._

_What's_   _ **that** __have to do with anything? It's a bigger deal to be younger than older!_

Mr. Omana hands a piece of chalk to the boy.

"Alright, alright, everyone. Settle down," he orders. "Now then, why don't you go ahead and write your name down on the board for us, then introduce yourself?" The boy takes the chalk, walks to the board, and writes his name. Takeba stares as he clearly spells out his name: Kazuma Tenshi.

"Kazuma… Tenshi," she repeats to herself. "Hm..." Karito steps up and bows to the class.

"M-My name is Kazuma Tenshi. I'm twenty years old. I-It's a pleasure to meet you all and I hope we get along this year." Mr. Omana rests his head on Karito's shoulder.

"Mr. Tenshi here has been to schools all throughout Japan," Omana says. "But this is his first ever time in Tatsumi Port Island. Do try to make him feel comfortable. And remember: he may be a year younger than some of you seniors who enrolled here straight out of high school and kept going, but he is still your fellow senior, so make him feel welcome. And juniors, make sure to show him respect." The instructor scans through his seating chart.

"Now, let me see if I can find a seat for you… Um…" Takeba raises her hand.

"He can sit behind  **me** ," she says. Mr. Omana looks up and nods.

"Oh, of course. Well, go ahead and take your seat, Tenshi-kun." Omana points in Takeba's direction. Kazuma nods and goes to the seat behind Takeba to sit down.

"Now, let's begin." Omana begins today's lesson.

* * *

**Time: Noon**

* * *

Omana closes his textbook.

"Alright, class. That pretty much wraps it up for today," he says. "Homework is due Monday!" As the class disperses, Kazuma stretches out his arms, feeling stiff from sitting in at a desk for so long. Takeba turns around in her desk to face him.

"So, how was your first day of class?" she asks with a smile. Kazuma shrugs.

"Eh… I don't feel any different, really," he says.

"Heh, yeah. Even though you change schools, the classes are still the same." Takeba turns to the black board, giving special attention to the name written down.

"That was a surprise, though. At the beginning of class. I never even heard of that Youthful Genius rumor before and I was still surprised it was you." She turns back to Kazuma and takes a good look at his face.

"I mean... you  **do**  kinda look a little young for a senior." She smiles.

"But, wow. Being so smart the higher ups bumped you up a whole year? You must be really something." Kazuma smirks at her.

" _Sweet talkin' won't get you everywhere, y'know~_ " he jokingly says.

"Oh, I bet you wish I was!"

As Kazuma and Takeba leave the classroom, Kazuma takes out a map of Tatsumi Port Island and thoroughly scans it.

"This is your first time in Port Island, right?" Takeba asks, noticing him looking at his map. "Ya know, you could take the train and walk around Iwatodai. Trust me. With the way things are right now, you  **definitely**  don't want get lost and be wandering the streets all night. So, you should make sure you get familiar with how to get around the city super quick." Kazuma nods in agreement.

"Okay." Takeba frowns and hesitates before speaking.

"Um... Listen... I'm not trying to bug you or anything, but... if you want, I could show you around." Kazuma shakes his head.

"O-Oh, no! That's alright, Senpai-" Takeba puts her right hand to Kazuma's face.

" **Pause!**  What're you doing?"

"Huh?"

"Like Mr. Omana said, you're a senior just like the me, so no calling me "Senpai"." Kazuma crosses his arms in confusion.

"Uh, okay… "Takeba-san", then?" Takeba scratches her head.

"Well… sure, if you're cool with that. I'd prefer just plain old Yukari, though." Kazuma scratches his head.

"So… "Yukari", then." Yukari smiles and nods.

"Much better. Anyway, you  **sure**  you don't need my help? I'd hate for you to get lost-" A cell phone starts ringing.

"That's me. Hold on." Yukari takes checks her phone. She has surprised expression on her face.

"What?!" Yukari looks at Kazuma and laughs awkwardly.

"Um...  _actually_... you go ahead. Something just came up, so I gotta go." Yukari puts away her phone.

"Let me at least give you a little advice," she says. "Try going to different places one day at a time. If you're hungry right now, I'd start with the Iwatodai Strip Mall. There are lots of places to eat there." Yukari starts walking in the other direction.

"Well, see ya around! And don't stay out too late, okay?!" Kazuma waves goodbye to her, then looks at his map. Feeling rather hungry, he decides to walk around the Iwatodai Strip Mall, as recommended by Yukari.

* * *

**Place: Iwatodai Strip Mall: Wild-Duck Burger**

**Time: Afternoon**

* * *

Kazuma has placed his order and is now sitting at a table, waiting to be called. He pulls out his headphones to listen to music on his phone and check his Lifebook page as he waits. A News Alert section about Tatsumi Port Island pops up on the touch screen. He decides to check it out and a video of a local news station plays. Random images of related crime scenes appear in a slide show on the screen as the anchorman speaks, along with images of policeman and trucks bearing the symbol of the Kirijo Group, one of Japan's most powerful syndicates, appear.

* * *

_"We interrupt this program to provide you with a special news bulletin concerning the recent abnormal phenomenon. Over the past few months, several persons have been reported to have gone missing after night fall, one night at a time. Days after these people had disappeared, they are discovered, only to be reported deceased due to unknown causes."_

_"To ensure the safety of the populous and minimize casualties, the famed Kirijo Group has recruited their own special forces to cooperate with the military. As such, these special forces have issued the following for all areas impacted by these events, which they have officially named the **"Black Hours"** : Until these incident have been resolved, all affected areas are now under curfew. Civilians are warned not to be wandering the streets after 8:30 pm. If you are still wandering the city after such time, please contact the Kirijo Safe Transportation Center using the number provided. They will provide safe transportation to your homes. That concludes this special new bulletin."_

* * *

The video ends with Kazuma already having the number on his phone after receiving it before his move to Iwatodai. Still waiting on his order, overhears a nearby conversation between two mothers about the Black Hours.

_"Hey, have you heard about recent curfew the Kirijo placed on the city?"_

_"A chill runs up my back whenever I think about it. I'm scared to even let my family go out anymore! How in the world do some many people just up and vanish in one night, then show up dead a days later with no clue on how they died?"_

_"Beats me… Though I've heard that there are a couple other cities and towns that actually have it **worse**. One of the major cases being in… um… what that town called again? It was out in the middle of nowhere…"_

_"Do you mean Yasoinaba? That town in the floodplains?"_

_"Yeah, that's the one! It's a shame, really. I heard that the place was actually getting much livelier after the murder case incident."_

Kazuma hears his number get called and walks up to the counter.

After his meal, a quick trip to the grocery store, and returning to the dorm, Kazuma decides to turn in for the day.

* * *

**Place: ?**

* * *

In his sleep, Kazuma starts hearing the soothing sound of waves yet again. Then, he starts to feel himself rocking left and right. He notices that the feeling doesn't feel like him laying down. It feels like he is sitting in a chair.

Kazuma opens his eyes to see that he is sitting in a dark blue, dimly lit room. It looks like the inside of the bridge of a sailing steel ship. In front of him, he sees a short, stooped bizarre-looking man in a tuxedo with thinning white hair and an absurdly long nose sitting behind the sea map table with his elbows resting on it, his hands clasped together, and his eyes closed. The man opens his bloodshot eyes and devilishly smiles, showing his pointed teeth.

"... Welcome to the Velvet Room," says the creepy man. "My cipher of a young man…"

The lights in the dark blue room turn on, making it slightly brighter.

"Ah… Indeed, we have a guest with a most intriguing destiny…" he chuckles. The man nods his head.

"My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance," he says. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" may enter. You, my good sir, have encountered such a fate as of recently." Kazuma is obviously, and understandably, confused. Igor pulls a clipboard out from his tux and shows it to Kazuma. There's a piece of paper attached on the front.

"Mr. Kazuma Tenshi… That is your name printed on the dotted line, is it not?" The clipboard floats towards Kazuma for him to take. He recognizes the piece of paper: It's the contract the dorm attendant had him sign the other night. Kazuma nods in confirmation and lets go of the clipboard to return it to Igor.

"It is expected that our guest not know when this particular fate has been set in motion," Igor explains. "They do not request it. It is either forced upon them or they are born into the world with it." The clipboard returns to Igor and he lightly waves it around in his right hand.

"Now then… do you believe in the power of foresight?" Igor asks.

"Foresight?" Kazuma repeats. "You mean the power to see the future?" Igor nods.

"The power to behold one's eyes to the path they walk, as well as what obstacles they will face on said path." Igor turns the clipboard around and it turns into a single tarot card.

"With the power of the cards of the Arcana, I am one who possesses such an ability. Why don't we use my power to sneak a glimpse at your future?" Igor puts the card in the middle of the table. It glows and splits into seven cards with a wave of his hand, Kazuma staring intently at them.

"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different," Igor chuckles. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it? The cards always reveal the futures of guests to me… or so they  **did**."

"They  **did**?" Kazuma asks.

"On the night your fate was thrust upon you, the contract you signed contained… an unknown aura. I have had many guests, but none whose contracts possess an aura such even  **I**  know nothing about. Noticing this, I took the liberty of glimpsing at your future for myself." Igor looks down on the cards.

"What I found… very much astounded me." Igor snaps his fingers and the cards flip over. They're all blank.

"There was no mention of a journey, nor warning of a great catastrophe. Your future is beyond what I can see." The cards fade away in dim blue light.

"Such a thing has never happened before in the entire history of this room's creation," says an unknown woman's voice. Kazuma notices the lady with white hair, yellow eyes, rosy lipstick, and a dark blue dress that matched the room.

"All destinies can seen by the cards…" she says as she taps her chin with her finger. "But **yours** is beyond their power to reveal... Curious."

"Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you," Igor says. "This is Margaret. She is a residence of this place, like myself." Margaret bows.

"Pleased to meet you," she says with a smile. "I am here to accompany you through your mysterious fate."

"It is as Margaret says. While all destinies so far have been revealed by the cards,  **yours**  is beyond all sight. However, if you are now a guest of the Velvet Room, that means that you will inevitably undergo a great trial, which may serve as a drastic turning point in your destiny. Although, like with all guest that came before you, it is one that may come at the cost of your very life."

"There is no need to fear," Margaret says. "As residences of the Velvet Room, our duty is to provide you with our assistance, so that you can persevere through this journey with your life still in your possession. Although, it may prove more difficult, considering that we know not of what lies in store for you."

"We shall attend to the details another time. You shall return to your world soon." Igor closes his eyes.

"Proceed with caution. The beginning of your journey is closer than you may realize. When it comes, survive it and we shall summon you here once more." Igor open his eyes.

"Until then, farewell…" Kazuma slowly loses consciousness.

* * *

**Place: Iwatodai: Near Naganaki Shrine**

**Time: Midnight**

* * *

The streets are barely lit with the flickering street light as a dreadful darkness blankets the area. Suddenly, two guys, on with buzzcut black hair and one with slicked back blonde hair, and a girl with short dirty blonde hair rush through the dark streets in a panic, like something is chasing them. Something roars loudly from behind them.

"H-H-Holy shit!" the buzzcut guy yells. "What the hell are those things?!"

"Eek! T-T-They're getting closer!" shrieks the blonde girl.

"Stop looking at 'em and run!" the blonde guy demands. Something pops out of the shadows and grabs the buzzcut guy, dragging him into the darkness. The second guy grabs the screaming girl's hand and pulls her as he runs.

"Don't stop! Keep running!" The two continue to run as the roars echo around them. They see the shrine in the distance.

"There! We can hide-"

"LOOK OUT!" Something jumps from above. The guy pushes the girl out of the way as it drop on them. The guy reaches out to the girl as he is dragged away.

"K-K-Keep going!" he yells. "D-Don't stop til you get to the shri- ACK!"

The girl is horrified as she watches the man being swallowed by darkness. She gets up and runs to the shrine. When she arrives, she goes into the interior, blocks the door behind her, and hides herself in the corner.

Time passes. The sun is almost up. The girl is still hiding in the corner. There aren't anymore strange noises. Curious to see if the danger has passed, she stands up, looks towards the barricaded door, and hesitates before slowly walking towards it.

Just when she's about to move the stuff out of the way, the door burst open, blowing the girl and the objects back. She tries to back away, but black beast hands burst out from the walls. The girl has nowhere to go.

"God…" she says as her voice trembles. "Please… help me…" A stranger in a tattered black cloak appears at the door.

"...  **No god can help you now…** " The beasts appears behind him and creep in closer to the girl. Her dread filled final screams echo through the sky as they pounce on her, leaving her no hope of escape.

And so, the now cursed nights of this world take more lives...

* * *

**Chapter 2: End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has a better name the strange phenomena, feel free to share. "Black Hours" was all I could think of.


	4. Veterans

**Day: Saturday, 3/2/2013**

**Place: TPU Boys Dorm: Dorm Building Alpha: Karito's Apartment**

**Time: Early Morning**

**Weather: Cloudy**

* * *

Kazuma is awake and well rested, despite the rather odd dream he had last night. Since his classes are Monday, then Wednesday through Friday, he has the day off today.

He goes to his kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal, then takes his bowl to the living room couch, turns on the TV, and switches the channel to the local news.

_Missing persons count has risen up by three as of last night._

Those are the first words that come out of the TV. Looks like more people are going missing during Black Hours incident.

Kazuma grabs the town map and opens it up. He grabs a marker and puts a check by the Iwatodai Strip Mall and the local grocery store, since he went there yesterday. He remembers Yukari's words.

_Try going to different places one day at a time._

Karito decides to go to the Port Island Station and Paulownia Mall today, since they're right next to each other.

"Come one, come all!" yells an ecstatic girl's voice.

Kazuma directs his attention back at the TV. It's an advertisement and the bold letters that read "Iwatodai Junes Grand Opening" stick out the most. A teen girl with long copper-colored hair and wearing what looks like an employee uniform steps out from the side.

He's heard of this girl before. It's the model who went on break for a year and is making a huge comeback. Her name is Rise Kujikawa, a.k.a. Risette.

" _Maru-_ _ **Q**_ _, Port Island! <3_" she cheerful yells with her famous smile. "That's right! The one, the only, you're  _ **lovely**_  Risette is coming to town and I'm bringing Junes with me! *giggle* Actually, it's the other way around.  _ **Why?**_  Cuz Junes is opening a new store right here in Iwatodai! To celebrate, we're throwin' the biggest grand opening party ever this Tuesday and all of you are invited! Save the address, come on down, and have some fun!  _I sure know_ _ **I**_ _will~!_ "

Kazuma quickly grabs a piece of paper and pencil and writes down the address.

"Well, hope to see all there and ready to party the night away! And don't forget:  _ **Every-day's! Great! At! Your! Ju-nes!**_  *giggle*"

Kazuma decides to go to the Junes Grand Opening Party on Tuesday since he has nothing better to do. He finishes his breakfast and walks around Port Island Station and Paulownia Mall for the day.

* * *

**Day: Sunday, 3/3/2013**

**Place: Near Gekkoukan High School**

**Time: Afternoon**

**Weather: Partly Cloudy**

* * *

Kazuma decided to bust out his new Zenok Ripper skateboard and shred through the streets of the man made island today.

The wind blows past him as he skates towards Gekkoukan High School with his hood headphones blasting music into his ears as he causally olleys over curves and a few flights of stairs.

As he brushes past, he catches a glimpse of the school and begins to stare. As the flow of time begins to slow for him, he continues staring at the school, amazed by how massive it is.

With his attention completely on the school, he crashes into someone and lands hard onto the ground, his skateboard rolling away as he tumbles on his sides. He lays there for a bit, letting the pain fade before sitting up.

" _Awww,_ _ **God!**_  Don't you skateboarding idiots ever think to watch where you're go-" Kazuma looks to see who he crashed into. Surprise, surprise. It's Yukari…  **again**. She smiles awkwardly.

"Why is it that every time we see each other, we end up crashing into each other first?" she groans.

"Guess we're "crash buddies"," Kazuma sarcastically says. Karito and Yukari stand up and dust themselves off.

"Yukari-san!" an unknown girl's voice yells. "Are you alright?!" Kazuma notices a light blue eyed, blonde haired girl with large earphones wearing their school's uniform with a loose red ribbon tucked into the blazer pinned with a senior emblem running towards them. He blushes, surprised by how unbelievably cute she looks.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm alright," Yukari says as the girl runs up to her. "Just a little accident is all." Kazuma turns to the girl and bows his head after retrieving his skateboard.

"M-My bad. I kinda got distracted," he says. The girl turns to him.

"It's alright," she says. "She doesn't seem to be too badly hurt, after all. Please try to pay more attention to where you're going." Kazuma nods in agreement.

"Oh! Now's actually as good a time as ever," Yukari exclaims. " **This**  is the transfer student I was telling you about earlier, remember?" The blonde haired girl walks up to Kazuma and examines him from top to bottom.

"Hm… I see… Kazuma Tenshi, the Youthful Genius, correct? You really do look a year too young to be a committed college senior." The blonde haired girl bows.

"Greetings. My name is Aigis Takeba and I am a senior at Tatsumi Port University as well. It's a pleasure to meet you." Kazuma is surprised.

"Hold up… Aigis…  **Takeba?** " he says looking back and forth at her and Yukari.

"She's my little sister," Yukari laughs. "I know, I know. You don't see a resemblance, do you?" Kazuma looks to Yukari with an unconvinced look on his face.

"There's no such thing as a little sister so cute, she makes her older sister look  **this**  bad," he says with a deadpan voice. Yukari stomps up to him in a huff.

"Wha-?! Say that again! I dare you!" Aigis smiles as Kazuma backs away chuckling.

"What a nice thing to say," she says.

"That's not nice at all!" Aigis notices Kazuma's attention turn back to the school.

"Does something about Gekkoukan High School catch your eye?" she asks. Yukari looks to the school with a reminiscent smile.

"Oh, so  **that's**  what grabbed your attention," she says. "Well, if anything, you'd be surprised by how massive it is, even for a private high school. I know  **I**  was my first day here." Kazuma turns to Yukari.

"Your first day?"

"Uh huh. This is where I went to high school.  **Lots**  of awesome memories here. Even though I'm senior in college now, I could never **forget** my time at this place."

"I, myself, don't really have many memories of this place," Aigis admits. "I transferred here in the middle of Yukari-san's junior year, after all."

"Junior year…" Yukari sighs. "That was the highlight of high school for me." Yukari and Aigis take a second to reminisce, then their smiles slowly turn into frowns. Yukari shakes her head, shaking off the gloomy mood.

" _Ugh!_ Listen to me going on and on about back in the day," she says. "I'm starting to sound like an old lady." Aigis smiles.

"If you keep talking like that, you'll become as wrinkly as a raisin," she jokes. Yukari laughs, then turns to Kazuma.

"Hey, are you going anywhere, or are you just skating around?" Yukari asks. "If you want, you can hang out with  **us**. I actually have some questions to ask you." Kazuma scratches his head with uncertainty.

"Eh, I dunno," he says. "I-I'm... not that interesting a person."

"Hmph. Says the rumored Youthful Genius!" Yukari says with a smirk. "It's nothing too personal. Just where you're from and stuff."

"I find you to be a person of interest as well. I want to learn the story of the genius of youth." Kazuma sighs, hoisting his skateboard on his shoulder.

"Well… alright. Where do you want me to start?"

* * *

**Place: Train from Port Island Station to Iwatodai Station**

* * *

Kazuma sits with Yukari and Aigis and tells his story as the train zooms on the rails.

"So, you had to move because of the Black Hours too, huh?" Yukari asks.

"I've heard that many towns and cities are victims of the incident as well," Aigis says. "Some are impacted more than others. That meaning more people have been reported missing and are later found deceased in certain areas. But apparently, Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai are impacted by this phenomenon the least. The death toll and death rate here is the lowest out of all other locations."

"We actually have some friends who had to move down here because the Black Hours are way worse where they live. That's who we're going to see right now."

"However, you've actually transferred to many schools long before all of this, correct? Not just in your college life, but through all your school years, from grade to high school." Yukari scratches her head.

"That sounds kinda… over the top if you ask me. You were actually able to keep up with all that?" Kazuma shrugs starts to slow down.

"Wasn't really a big deal for me," he says. "Wish I could remember my hometown, though. But with my family moving around so much, I doubt I even  **have** one." The train stops and the three get off.

* * *

**Place: Iwatodai Strip Mall**

* * *

The three approach the Beef Bowl Shop, Umiushi and see a boy with dyed brown hair and a girl with short brown hair arguing at the entrance. They look like they're in high school uniforms.

"For once in your life, will you just shut the hell up about your goddamn meat?!" the brown dyed hair boy barks.

"H-Hey, w-what're getting pissed all at me for?!" the short haired girl yells back. "All I did was open my mouth!"

" **Exactly!**  And  **this**  is all that comes out of there: _steak, beef, chicken, and more damn **steak!**_ "

"Arguing  **again**?" Yukari says with a smirk. "You guys are  **always**  like this, aren't you?"

"Hey, it's none of your damn-!" The dyed hair boy and short haired girl notice Aigis and Yukari. The boy turns his head in regret.

"Oh! Uh… s-sorry," he says. The short haired girl smiles as she waves at the girls.

"Yukari-san! Aigis! Long time no see!" she says.

"Greetings," Aigis says. "It's been a long time indeed, Chie-san." The girl notices the uninvited guest behind the girls.

"Who's that guy with you?" she asks.

"Oh! This is new classmate of ours," Yukari says. "Kazuma Tenshi." Kazuma bows to greet her. The short haired girl raises her hand and winks.

" _Hiya there! The name's Chie Satonaka! Nice to meet ya!_ " Chie nudges the boy with dyed hair hard in the gut.

"Hey! Don't be rude! Say something!" The boy groans and waves his hand quickly.

"Yosuke Hanamura… Hey." Kazuma senses a large degree of sadness in Yosuke's voice.

"Um… you okay?" he asks. Yosuke glares at Kazuma with sun rank intensity.

"Is it really any of your damn business?!" he barks. " **Stay the hell out of it!** "

" _ **God**_ , Yosuke!" Chie yells. "Turn it down a-" Like a flash of lightning, Yosuke gets right up in Chie's face with a mad dog look.

"Didn't I just tell you to  **can it?!**  Does that gross as hell carnivore mouth of yours  **ever**  stop flapping, or do I need to find some staples and duct tape?! It'd definitely help stop you from stinking up the air with your  **DAMN DOG BREATH?!** " Chie gasps, shocked by his furious outburst.

" **WHA-?!** " Yosuke shoves her on her shoulder hard before turning away.

"Know what?! To hell with  **you**  and  **all this**   **bullshit**! I'm  **outta**  here!  **Move it!** " Yosuke shoves his way past Yukari, Aigis, and Kazuma in a serious huff.

"That son of a…  **YOSUKE!**  YOU-!" Yosuke marches away without another word, completely ignoring her, which makes her erupt.

" _ **OHHHH!**_ **ASSHOLE!**  I SWEAR! I COULD JUST-  **GRRRRR!** AND THEN-  **AGGGGH!** " Chie growls, huffs, stomps her foot, and strangles all the air around her in anger as she glares at her friend, then hangs her head and frowns in depression when she finally burns out.

"... I-I'm... upset... too..." Yukari turns back to Chie and pats her on her shoulder as she sighs.

"I know it's hard… Just hang in there, alright?" she says. Chie glares at her.

"Tell that to  **him**!" Chie yells. " **He's**  the one blowing like a million fuses left and right! Then, he just goes off and  **shoves**  me like that!  _ **Ugggggh!**_ "

"Okay, okay. Just breath." Chie takes a couple deep breaths as Yukari looks around.

"Hey, where's-" Chie finishes calming herself down.

"Oh... s-she's inside. She wanted to stay hidden in the crowd. C'mon." The three follow an upset Chie into the Beef Bowl Shop.

Chie leads them to an obviously conspicuous girl wearing a black hat, shades, and a trench coat at the counter tables.

"They're here," Chie tells her with a murmur. The girl turns to them.

"Yukari-san, Aigis! Hey, guys!" she cheerful says. Yukari and Aigis wave to her and she notices Kazuma.

"Who's this?"

"Kazuma," Yukari answers. "New classmate of ours." The girl waves to Kazuma.

"Oh, okay. Nice to meet you." He waves back.

"Likewise," Kazuma says. "And you are?" Yukari, Chie, and the covered girl seem surprised.

"Huh? M-My name?" the girl says nervously.

"Oh, uh…" Yukari is trying to think of something to say.

"Uh… Y-You don't really need to know!" Chie says in a panic. "It's not like you'll see each other again anyway. Aha ha ha…"

"Her name is Ris-" Yukari covers Aigis' mouth before she finishes her sentences.

"Aigis, shush!" she yells.

"Ho? Ham I hot huppof fo fell hm?" Aigis's words are coming out wrong due to her mouth being covered.

"Exactly!" Chie yells.

"Horhy." Yukari uncovers Aigis' mouth and they all sit down. The covered girl looks to Chie.

"Hey, where's Yosuke-senpai?" she asks. Chie hangs her head and frowns, making it easy for her to understand.

"Oh… O-Okay..." The covered girl hangs her head. Yukari calls the chef over.

"Excuse me!" she yells. "Four Hagukure Bowls, please!" Yukari turns to Chie.

"Extra large with extra meat for you, right Chie?" Chie's expression doesn't change.

"Actually…" she mumbles. "I-I'm not hungry anymore…"

"Me neither…" says the covered girl. "Sorry…"

"Oh… Okay. Just two then." A depressing atmosphere surrounds the group.

"Poor Senpai…" the girl says. "He must be taking this the hardest."

"He doesn't have to act so pissed all the time!" Chie says in irritation. "I mean, **I'm** pissed off too, but **still!** "

"I understand your frustration, Chie-san," Aigis says. "Being forced from the place you call home due to circumstances that you could not control is difficult. But remember: We're here for you when you need us." Chie painfully smiles.

"Thanks, Aigis. That means a lot." Kazuma assumes Aigis is talking about the Black Hours incident. Chie and Yosuke must've been forced to come here for safety.

"I wonder how they're doing," Chie says.

"Your family?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, they  **did**  send just me here cuz they didn't have the money to get everyone down here. I talking more about Yukiko and Kanji-kun, though. Yukiko stayed behind for her family's inn and Kanji-kun stayed because of his mom."

"I get the same feeling when I think about my grandma," the girl says. "All alone at the store with all that stuff happening. She told me not to worry about leaving her behind, but still." Chie looks down.

"I wanted to graduate with everyone too."

"If my memory serves me correctly," Aigis says. "March 5th is Graduation Day at Gekkoukan High School, correct?"

"Oh, that's right, isn't it?!" Yukari says.

"Yeah... It's bad enough the three of us couldn't walk the stage at our old school... Now, we can't even do it together."

"Yeah. That's sad to think about…" Silence surrounds the group for a moment.

"Anyway, it may be tough and probably not the best time to do it," the girl says. "But let's try to cheer ourselves up at the party."

"Y-Yeah, okay," Chie says. "Nothing cheers you up like a post graduation party!"

"Oh, you mean the Junes Grand Opening Party?" Yukari asks.

"Yep! That's the one! So, you guys coming?"

"Well, I actually  **have to**  go cuz of work," Yukari says with a smile. "And Aigis doesn't have anything better to do, right Aigis?" Aigis smiles.

"Correct. It sounds like it will be a "hoot". And for some time, I've wanted to learn how to "shake my groove thang"."

"Uh, you're trying too hard again," Yukari says with a sigh. Yukari looks to Karito.

"Hey, what about you, Kazuma-san? Are you coming?"

"Oh… y-yeah," Kazuma says. "I was already planning on going." The covered girl looks towards Kazuma and smiles.

"Well, you better ready to party your butt off!  _I sure know_ _ **I**_ _will~!_ "

Karito is surprised. He recalls the commercial he saw yesterday. 

_Save the address, come on down, and have some fun! I sure know_   _ **I** __will~!_

The girl said that exactly like Risette. Plus, Aigis said part of her name: Ris. That can't be a coincidence.

"Hm? What's wrong?" the girl asks. Kazuma smiles and shakes his head.

"Nothing. Nothing." As his food arrives and the girls continue to talk, he suddenly recalls Igor's words. 

_Proceed with caution. The beginning of your journey is closer than you may realise._

"Why am I remembering that  **now**?" he asks himself. Is the beginning getting close, like Igor predicted?

Kazuma shrugs it off for the time being and, after eating, decides to head home and call it a day.

* * *

**Place: Kirijo Private Jet - Airborne**

**Time: Late Night**

* * *

In the dark plane room, people wearing black suits and communication headgear are sitting in chairs with their eyes glued to laptops.

"Do we have eyes on the targets?" an unknown woman's voice ask.

"Yes, madam," a man in a black suit replies. "All units currently in the area in pursuit."

"Incoming transmissions," a woman in a black suit says. "Units 2 and 5 have scattered and boxed in the targets. Contact in 3… 2… 1…" Silence fills the room. The woman earpiece floods with loud voices.

"Ngh! Unit 5 is being pinned down! … *gasp* Unit 2 is suffering casualties!" A woman wearing a skin tight black suit and a white fur coat sitting in the back of the plane grunts as the leader of a hurting task force.

"Ngh… What's the situation with Sanada's group?" she asks. She earpiece rings and she presses the button to patch in the sender.

"This is Sanada," says the man sending the transmission. "My team's just touched down in the area. Now pursuing the target."

"Understood. Carrier Iota, proceed to dropping the special unit near the combat area."

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

**Place: Unknown City**

* * *

In the town square of an abandoned city, two cloaked figures stand tall on top of the small hill of corpses they created.

They notice a group of soldiers, led by a muscular man with white hair wearing a red cape, red gloves, steel arm plating, torn brown pants, and red army boots, rush their way.

"Surround them!" he orders. The troops do as their commander says and circle around the two.

"Evokers at the ready!" The troops take out what appear to be guns. The cloaked figures look at each other, nod, put out their hands, and drops of black liquid gush from their palms. The pools separate into puddles and masks and claws emerge from each of them.

"Mayas!" yells a soldier.

"All troops, engage!" The troops put the guns to their heads.

" _ **Persona!**_ " the soldiers yell in unison. They pull the triggers, releasing mysterious energy from themselves. From this energy, multiple creatures emerge and attack the masked creatures. The Muscular Man rushes towards the cloaked figures as they draw two sickles from their cloaks and charge toward the man to attack. The man dodges and blocks their slash attacks while trying to attack. The figures jump into the air and fire shots of lightning and ice from their hands. The man manages to dodge them all. Then, the cloaked figures focus their attention on the troops and fire at them. The man takes out his Evoker and puts it to his head.

" _ **Caesar!**_ " he yells. He summons a spirit with a world globe in his hands and sends it to absorb the attacks. The figures swoop down, knocks the man in the air, and bash him around a bit before smashing him into the ground. The second figure raises their hand and a swarm of striped black and white balls with giant mouths appear out of thin air. The man sees them.

"Damn! More Shadows incoming!"

"Hang on, Akihiko!" the operation leader yells through the intercom. "The special unit should be arriving any second!" Suddenly, the man hears a girl screaming and smiles.

"... I think she's here." As the balls with mouths descend on the troops, a white haired robot girl with red eyes wearing a school uniform slides in their way, giant axe at the ready.

"Head ups, ya big mouths!" she yells. Her arm extends and she annihilates the swarm of ball creatures with a string of devastating swings.

"Labrys!" Akihiko yells. "In the air, on your right!" The girl called Labrys looks toward the cloaked figures.

"Yeah! I see 'em!" Labrys bangs her chest and points at the cloaked figures.

" _ **Go get'cha some, Ariadne!**_ " She summons a spirit that looks very similar to her to attack the cloak figures. The cloaked figure float some distance away. Labrys rushes to Akihiko and they glare at their enemy. The cloaked figures look down on them. Then, they look to their left for a moment, then fly off in that direction. Labrys tries to give chase.

"Hey! What are ya?! Chicken?!" she yells at them "Git back heya!"

"No! Let them go," the operation leader orders. "It seems as though they didn't find whatever they were looking for." Labrys stops.

"Oh. O-Okay," she says. "Whateva ya say."

**xxx**

Back at the jet, a plane attendant hands the leader woman a glass of red wine.

"So, what's our next move?" Akihiko asks. The leader takes a sip of wine and swishes it around in her glass while she thinks.

"Those people in the cloaks," she says. "Are without a doubt involved with the Black Hours incident, using an unknown method to control Shadows and using them to abduct and murder civilians." She stops swishing her whine around.

"There must be others that possess the same ability. The question is why is it that only those two have appeared, as well as how they are able to put the Shadows under their control. From what we know, Shadows can't be controlled unless they are accepted by the ego and become Personas. Yet, these people seem to be able to tame their primal forms with ease. On top of that, instead of disposing of their victims right away or simply feeding off their minds as the usual behaviors we have seen and heard of, they abduct them for a few days, then dispose of them in conditions and locations that unable us to report as accidents or random violent crimes."

"Hmm… At this rate… Shadows and Personas might become common knowledge," Akihiko grimaces.

"That's… bad, right?" Labrys asks. The leader stops talking for a bit.

"Well, let's focus on capturing and unmasking those two for now," she say. "All units, gather the wounded and withdraw." The leader lays back and crosses her legs.

"Akihiko, Labrys, I'm heading back to Iwatodai. You two meet me there as soon as you can."

"You're heading back?" Akihiko asks. "Why?"

"To see Yukari and Aigis, of course."

"Oh… O-Okay." The leader chuckles.

"Don't make it that sound. I haven't forgotten. True, I do intend to inform them of our situation, but not as put new pieces on the field…" The leader with dark red hair and rosy lipstick genuinely smiles.

"But to ask our friends for their help. That's what people do when they need it, am I right?"

"Heh. I wasn't worried," Akihiko says. "I just wanted to hear you say that." The leader chuckles again.

"Pilot, set course for Tatsumi Port Island," she orders.

"As you wish, Madam Kirijo," the pilot replies. The jet changes course and disappears into the clouds.

"See you there, Mitsuru."

* * *

**Place: ?**

* * *

Kazuma is struggling to sleep, tossing and turning from the sudden feeling of uncomfortable tension when all of a sudden…

_***Demonic roar*** _

The screeching sound of a demon's roar causes him to jolt awake. He looks around to see that he is sitting in the middle of a vast leveled suburban area, burning ruins, blood, gore, and corpses peppered all over the place. Slightly rattled, he looks up at the chaotic blood red sky.

_What in God's name is_ _**this?!** _

His eyes follow a massive swarm of black birds as they zoom across the corrupted sky, screeching bloody murder. He quickly runs to an climbs up the highest ruined structure. After scaling a decent sized building, the first thing he sees is a massive army of darkness far into the distance. The unsettling sounds of chains, the black shroud of fog, and the atrocious eerie jeers coming from the demons and demented humans. All of that made his spine tingle. But not as much as the menacing presence of their leader who's standing in the middle of the army wielding a massive one handed sword.

As Kazuma is following the swarm of demons birds flying from the dark army, a volley of gunshots go off and what looks like a meteor shower clears the sky of all of the birds in an instant. When he turns towards the direction of where the meteors came from, he sees another army in the distance. This time, however, the army has a bright aura covering it, even though it was significantly smaller. Plus, it was comprised entirely of human soldiers.

What stood out the most in the this army is what he assumes are its band of united leaders. They appeared to be in four factions: One was leading their group to shoot down the birds, one was in what looked like school uniforms, one looked like they had been living out in the wild, and one was standing above them all with whom he assumes to be the overall leader standing above them all with a massive one handed sword in his possession, just like the dark leader. In fact… the two seem very much identical.

An army of humans fighting for light and an army of demons fighting for darkness opposing each other in a barren, corpse peppered wasteland. What kind of battle is this? How did it even start? Those questions and many more bounced around in his head as the two armies converged in an all out war.

* * *

**Place: TPU Boys Dorm: Dorm Building Alpha: Karito's Apartment**

* * *

Karito jolts awake in a cold sweat. He looks around and notices that he's back in his room. He scratches his head in frustration, tired of these strange dreams he's been having recently.

" _Ugh, what is it? Am I eating something I'm not supposed to?_ "

* * *

**Chapter 3: End**


	5. A Chance Opprotunity

**Day: Tuesday 3/5/2013**

**Place: En route to Iwatodai Junes**

**Time: Afternoon**

**Weather: Clear**

* * *

Today is the day of the Junes Grand Opening Party and graduation day at Gekkoukan High.

Kazuma is on his way to the festival grounds via skateboard, trying to put the strange dreams behind him. That's when he suddenly hears a faint noise. He stops and looks around to find the source when his head starts to ache and a flood of blurry images rush through his mind. The rush and the pain slowly subside, leaving Kazuma wondering what that was about.

All of a suddenly, the rattling of bike chains and person screaming from a distance breaks through the silence.

" _ **GYAAAAAAAAAAH!!! LOOK OUT!!!**_ " Kazuma instinctively jumps back and sees Yosuke zoom past him from the left on his out of control bike and crash straight into a large garbage can, flipping straight inside and having the lid slam hard on his head.

" _Owww…_ " Kazuma cringes at the sight of the accident as he walks over to help.

_That **had** to hurt._

A bit later, Yosuke dusts himself off and picks up his bike.

"You alright?" Kazuma asks. "That looked like it caused a bruise...  **a**   **lot of bruises,** actually."

" _Can this month seriously get any worse?_ " Yosuke asks himself. Yosuke is surprised when he sees that it was Kazuma who helped him out.

"Hey… aren't that guy from the other day? You were Yukari-san and Ai-chan, right?"

"The very same." Yosuke hangs his head.

"You seriously stopped to help me?" Kazuma nods. The young man rubs the back of his neck

"T-Thanks. And, uh…" Yosuke hesitates before continuing.

"Listen uh…" he sighs. "Sorry for snapping at you like that. I-I'm just dealing with a lot of stuff right now." Kazuma shakes his head.

"Hey, don't sweat it. Chie and Rise talked about it back at ...  _U-mi-u-shi?_ Y'know, that beef bowl place. You and the Black Hours, right?"

"Yeah, well… that has something to do with it. I can't believe my dad's so scared of the incident, he had to go and switch stores." Kazuma, having confirmed that the girl from the other day was Risette, looks confused.

"Switch stores?"

"Oh, didn't they mention it? Yeah, my dad manages the Junes department store in Inaba... Well,  **used to** , anyway, up until about a month ago. He decided to move here and manage the new store to avoid the whole Black Hours thing." Yosuke's grip on the handlebars tightens.

"Tch! What was the point in that anyway?! It's all happening **here** too! This wasn't any help at all! Just when I started loving that town, we had to go and move! And near graduation day of all times!" Yosuke looks up to Kazuma.

"Ha ha… None of this is getting to you, is it?"

"Actually, I had to move here cuz of the Black Hours too. I just moved here a few days ago." Yosuke is surprised.

"Wow, seriously? Guess we're not that far off after all." Yosuke smiles.

"Hey, you're on your way to the party, right? I was just on a ride after the graduation ceremony to blow off some steam. Wanna go down to Junes together?" Kazuma nods.

"Sure… just don't crash." Yosuke hangs his head.

"Man, I wish I still had my scooter," he groans. He suddenly recalls something.

"Wait, hold up."

"What is it?" Kazuma asks.

"Did you say Chie and  _Rise_  earlier?!"

"Well, yeah. You are friends with Risette, aren't you? Ya know, " _Maru-Q!_ ", or something?" Yosuke starts sweating.

"Wha… U-Uh, um… I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Yosuke stutters. "Risette  **who**?! I don't know who that is!"

"Then what's with the stutter?" Yosuke starts panicking.

"Calm down," Kazuma says. "I don't really care. I'm not some Risette groupie. I just wanna know for the sake of knowing. She kinda has a voice that no one can forget." Yosuke starts to calm down.

"Oh… well-"

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed. Now, come on, let's go."

"A-Alright. Yeah." Kazuma and Yosuke ride side by side to Junes.

* * *

**Place: Iwatodai Junes**

**Time: Evening**

* * *

The Junes Grand Opening Party is in full swing. There are food stands and game shacks everywhere with large crowds of people sandwiched in between.

"Here ya go! Have a good day!" A mask shopkeeper hands Kazuma a albino shiba inu dog mask, which he secures on the side of his head.

"Thank you!" He walks away from the shop and wanders through festival grounds, chowing down on fresh Octopia takoyaki, donuts, sweet dumplings, and candied apples while looking around at all of the people enjoying the party. A mom gives her adorable tykes some candy, a group of teens are trying to win a water ballon fishing game, and a few couples are getting all cozy together.

_Great party,_ he thinks.  _Risette sure knows how to gather a crowd._

He catches sight of the many Kirijo soldiers and transport vehicles surrounding the vicinity.

_Go figure. There's a lot of people at this party it's going on deep into the night. The more resources put into guarding the grounds and making sure everyone gets home, the better._

He then notices a large crowd gathering at a large stage up ahead. He slips his way to the front of the crowd and looks around. When he looks to his right, he notices Aigis right next to him. Aigis notices him too.

"Oh, Kazuma-san, it's you!" she says.

"Hey, Aigis," Karito says. "What's going on here?"

Suddenly, an explosion is set off on stage, covering it in smoke. Five silhouettes appear in the smoke and the crowd roars. The spotlights reveal five people in colored skin tight suits and helmets. Each one took turns posing and calls out their name.

" _ **Phoenix Ranger Featherman: Blaaack Condor!**_ "

" _ **Phoenix Ranger Featherman: Bluuue Swan!**_ "

" _ **Phoenix Ranger Featherman: Piiink Argus!**_ "

Kazuma notices that the pink one sounds exactly like Yukari.

" _ **Phoenix Ranger Featherman: Yellooow Owl!**_ "

" _ **Phoenix Ranger Featherman: Reeed Hawk!**_ "

The red one reaches out to the crowd.

" _Death must not be needlessly feared,_ " he bellows." _But it must not needlessly be desired as well. Face it and fight!_ " The five form a symmetrical pose and call out their team name.

" _ **Phoenix Rangers Featherman Victory!**_ " A bright light with the team symbol shines behind them and the crowd goes wild.

"Yukari-san is up there," Aigis says. "She is the Pink Argus Featherman." Kazuma looks to Aigis in surprise.

"Wait, what?!" He looks back to the stage. As the Featherman group take off their helmets, Kazuma recognizes Pink Argus' face. That  **is**  Yukari up there! She and the group wave to the audience with bright smiles on their faces.

**xxx**

After answering some questions and some autograph signing at a nearby booth, Yukari is standing around the target game booth waiting for Aigis.

"Yukari-san!" Yukari jumps and turns around.

"Ack! Who's that-! Oh..." It's Kazuma and Aigis.

"It's just you two," Yukari sighs, relieved to know that it was just Aigis calling her. Aigis tilts her head in confusion.

"Are you hiding from someone?" Aigis asks.

"Uh, no… Yes… Maybe- I dunno! I guess I'm still nervous, even after it was all over. This was my first time doing something like this." She scratches her head.

"Anyway, if I was trying to hide, I'd be doing pretty bad at it. This suit makes me stand out like a sore thumb." Kazuma gets a good look at Yukari's suit.

_She's seriously… a featherman_ , he thinks to himself. Yukari notices his stare.

"Take a picture, why don'tcha," she says, irked by his staring. Kazuma blushes.

"Wha-  **N-No!**  I-It's not like that! It's just... well…" Kazuma looks away and scratches his cheek with his finger.

"Pink looks good on you. That's all."

"Judging by the tone of his voice," Aigis says. "He is exclusively complimenting your appearance in pink clothing. He is not "drooling over your sexy bod."" Yukari blushes.

"Y-You don't need to say it like that!" Yukari yells. She scratches her head.

"Well, if you're just talking about my clothes… then thanks… I guess." Kazuma scratches his head and kicks the ground awkwardly.

"Yukari-san! Ai-chan!" The three look behind them and see Yosuke and Chie walking their way. They say hello.

"So, Yosuke-kun, feelin' any better?" Yukari asks.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Yosuke says. "Yesterday was just an off day for me. Sorry. I'm good now."

" **Hey!**  You still owe  **me**  apology!" Chie yells as she stomps her foot.

" _Yeah, yeah._  I'll buy you some steak later."

"Ten! Fat! Juicy! T-Bones! And you better not skimp or that kick is comin'!"

" **Again**.  _Yeah, yeah._  So, how'd the Featherman thing go, Yukari-san?"

"My favorite part was having a lot kids come up to me, asking for my autograph," Yukari replies with a smile. "I couldn't help but smile whenever one would say I was their favorite. *sigh* Could've done without all the perverted weirdos, though."

" _He he he._  Yeah, every actress has one of those out there somewhere," Chie says. "I mean Yosuke goes gaga for Rise." Yosuke glares Chie.

"Well,  _excuuuse_   **me**  for my "creepy" natural urges! And I don't "go gaga" for her!"

"My director told me I have to stay in my suit 'til the party's over," Yukari sighs. "It's kinda uncomfortable with guys staring at me."

"Yeah, but you don't really have the right to complain. You're practically begging for it, running around kickin' ass in a suit like that, Yuka-tan."

Yukari groans when she hears an unknown voice.

"You know, there's a pervert, there's a perverted weirdo…" Everyone turns to a scruffy looking man with a goatee wearing a light blue baseball uniform and a backpack with a baseball bat in the pocket. Yukari looks at him with an annoyed expression on her face.

"And then, there's a  **Stupei** ," Yukari adds. The guy in baseball attire smirks at her.

"Ya know, you've done that so many times now, it doesn't even bother me that much anymore," he says. Aigis smiles.

"Junpei-san! Hello!" she says. Junpei turns to Aigis and smiles.

"Ha ha ha! Hey, what's up, Ai-chan?" he says. Junpei notices Yosuke and Chie.

"And… you guys? What brings you all the way out here?" Chie frowns.

"Black Hours," she sighs. Junpei frowns.

"Oh man… I'm sorry to hear that." Yosuke sighs.

"We weren't even students and we still had to go to the ceremony," he says. "What kind of sense does that make?" Yosuke smiles.

"But hey, if we end up going to college here, at least I get to see that  _gorgeous_  student council president, Chihiro Fushimi! I missed that long gorgeous hair and those glasses! Hey, Yukari-san,  **please** tell me she's going to your campus!"

"She is, but too bad for you. She's dating one of the sophomores." Yosuke's head drops.

" _AAAAnd_  this sucks again." Everyone laughs. Junpei notices Kazuma standing next to Yukari and puts on a devilish smile.

"Ugh, what's the idiot smile for?" she asks in annoyance. Junpei chuckles.

"Nothin'. I'm just surprised to see that someone finally reeled you in, for once."

"Wha…? What're you…?" Yukari looks to Kazuma, then blushes and glares at Junpei when she realises what he's thinking.

" **FEATHER ROUNDHOUSE KICK!** " She twirls around and hits Junpei at the right side of his mouth with her heel and sends him falling to the ground. Kazuma, Yosuke, and Chie flinch at the sight.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

" **That's**  why you'll always be a  **Stupei**! It's not like that!"

"H-H-Holy crap. That looked like it really hurt," Yosuke says. "Makes  **your**  kicks look like rabbit kicks, Chie." Chie glares at Yosuke.

" _Oh, really!_   **RABBIT ROUNDHOUSE KICK!** " She performs a roundhouse kick like Yukari, but hits Yosuke right on his bells. Kazuma flinches as he groans in agony on the ground.

"Rabbits can kick pretty hard too, ya know!" Kazuma laughs nervously and Aigis observes the situation.

"It would appear that roundhouse kicks are the main theme at the current moment," she says. Kazuma notices Aigis getting ready.

"I do believe it is our turn, Kazuma-san." Karito jumps away in fear.

"Quit playing!"

"Eek! What the-?!" Karito, Yukari, and Aigis look to Chie when she shrieks. There's little girl with a curly brown pony tail wearing a pink dress bear hugging her waist. Chie looks at her with shock.

"No way!" Chie gasps. "N-Nanako-chan?!" The little girl looks up at Chie with an adorable smile.

"Hi, Chie!" she giggles. Chie kneels down to bear hug her back, rubbing her cheek against the precious cinnamon roll's.

"Ahhh! Hey! It feels like it's been so long!" Chie squeal as Nanako laughs.

"I-Is that Nanako-chan?" Yosuke painfully says. "H-Hey, it's good to see you- Agh!" Yosuke's voice is cracking due to the terrible pain. Nanako looks at Yosuke and tilts her head.

"Hi, Yosuke! Hm? What's wrong?" she asks.

"Chie-san roundhouse kicked him in his testicles." Aigis answers. Nanako smiles.

"That's so cool!"

"Not from  **my**  perspective- Ngh!" Chie lets go of Nanako.

"Wait, what're you doing here?" she asks. "Did you and Dojima-san move up here too?" Nanako frowns and shakes her head.

"Dad isn't here. He had to stay home to help with the Black Hours thingy," she answers.

"So... he sent you here by all by yourself?" Nanako puts on a big smile.

"Uh uh! I'm living with Big Bro now! We're staying at this  **big**  apartment too! It's so much fun!" Chie and Yosuke are shocked.

"Wait… "Big Bro"?!" they say simultaneously.

"Nanako! Don't just rush off like that!"

Everyone turns to a teenage boy with silver hair and eyes wearing a black button-up jacket, white t-shirt, black pants and and shoes walks up to them with a smile on his face.

"Oh,  **there**  you are," he says. "We've been looking all over for you guys." Chie smiles and Yosuke tries to smile through the pain as he slowly gets back to his feet.

"Yu-kun!" Chie screams.

"Yu?! Hey, what's up, partner- Ugh!" Yu notices Yukari, Aigis, and Junpei's presence. Junpei starts getting back on his feet.

"Oh, you guys are here too?" Yu asks. "It's been awhile."

"Hey, Yu-kun."

"Greetings, Yu-san."

"Ugh. Hey, what's up, Yu-kun?" Yu notices Junpei and Yosuke favoring their wounded areas.

"So… what's the theme here?" he asks.

"Roundhouse kicks," Aigis answers deadpanly.

"I-I see…" Aigis looks at Kazuma and gets ready.

"Please hold still, Kazuma-san. It is my turn now." Kazuma jumps back again.

" _ **Nyah!**_  H-Hey, Aigis, stop screwing around!" He yells in a panic.

"Aigis, no! You'll kill him!" Yukari yells.

"The hell d'ya mean " **she'll kill me** "?!" Yu laughs awkwardly.

"Anyway, what're you doing here?" Chie asks Yu. "Did you move here cuz of the Black Hours too?" Nanako walks back to Yu.

"There's  **that** , mostly," Yu replies. "And my parents have to work abroad again."

"Too bad your school had its Grad day earlier," Yosuke says. "You could've filled in for Yukiko."

"Heh, That does kinda suck, doesn't it?"

"So, why's Nanako-chan here with you?"

"While I was packing, I got a call from Uncle saying that he heard I was moving here. He said he's gonna be working late because of the Black Hours and he's worried about leaving Nanako home all by herself." Nanako giggles as Yu rubs the top of her head.

"I told him I'd be glad to have her stay with me."

"Yeah, good call," Yosuke says. "He definitely shouldn't leave her alone during a crazy time like this." 

"Yeah! Especially not after last time!" Chie yells. Yu nods in agreement.

"We actually got here a few days ago, but we thought we'd surprise you guys."

"Uh hey, I still haven't caught this guy's name yet," Junpei says. Yu notices Kazuma.

"Oh yeah. Who's this?" Yu asks.

"Well, he's  **definitely not**  my boyfriend!" Yukari yells at Junpei.

"Okay, okay! I get it! Just stop hitting me!"

"This is a new classmate of ours, Kazuma Tenshi," Aigis answers. "He is known around the campus as the Youthful Genius because he was pushed forward one year in high school, making him one year younger than the rest of the committed third years at our school." Junpei and Yu's eyes widen in awe.

"Whoa, for real?"

"Wow, that's pretty impressive." Yu puts out his hand.

"Yu Narukami. I'm third year in high school with Yosuke and Chie. Or,  **was**. I just graduated." Kazuma shakes Yu's hand. Junpei puts a fist to his chest in pride.

"Junpei Iori's my name," he confidently says. "Current local baseball coach, future big league baseball legend."

"In his sleazy dreams," Yukari adds.

"Hey, I'm taking this seriously!"

"As seriously as your exams."

"I still graduated, dammit!"

"By the skin of your teeth."

"Well, at least  **I'm**  not wearing **spandex**!"

" **FEATHER PUNCH!** " Yukari punches Junpei hard in the gut and Junpei goes down again. Nanako walks toward Yukari in awe.

"And that's my little cousin, Nanako," Yu says. "You haven't meet her yet, have you, Yukari-san?"

"Uh, no. I haven't." Nanako stops to stare at Yukari as she kneels down to her level and smiles at her softly.

" _Hi there!_ "

"She's a  **huge**  Phoenix Ranger fan," Yu adds with a smile. Nanako blushes, looks down at her feet, and twiddles her thumbs.

"U-Um… Ms. Feather Pink?" she meekly says.

"Hm?"

"U-Um… uh… Y-You're… the coolest…" Yukari blushes.

"Y-You're so strong and… pretty… You make all the bad guys cry…" Nanako takes a deep breath, looks up to Yukari, and smiles.

"Out of everyone, you're my favorite! I have always dream being your number one fan!" Yukari's face lights up like a Christmas Tree.

"Awww! You're so sweet! Thank you!" Yukari pulls out her phone and gives it to Yu.

"Hey, Yu-kun! Use my phone to take a picture of us!"

"Oh. A-Alright." Yosuke, Chie, and Junpei rush to take out their phones. Aigis goes at normal pace.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on a sec! I want a picture of this too!" Chie says.

"Yeah, me too!" Yosuke adds.

"Hold on! Wait for me!" Junpei demands.

"I would like a photograph as well," Aigis says. Kazuma pulls out his phone too. Yukari beckons Nanako over to her.

"C'mere, Nanako-chan!" Nanako stands next to Yukari. Yukari wraps her arms around Nanako's shoulders while Nanako wraps hers around Yukari's waist and giggles as she rests her head on her chest. They both look at the phones.

"Awww! You guys look so cute!" Chie says. "Yukiko would  **love**  this!"

"Betcha 500 yen Dojima-san would laugh," Yosuke says.

"Okay, smile," Yu says. Nanako and Yukari put on their cutest smiles. They both giggle.

"3… 2… 1…" Everyone takes a picture. Yukari and Nanako get out of their pose and Yu hands Yukari her phone back.

"Hey, Nanako-chan."

"Yes?"

"Don't move. I'm gonna show you something really cool." Yukari takes a moment to tamper with her picture.

"Someone send me theirs," Yu says.

"I gotcha," Yosuke says.

"Hey, Yu-kun, you said she's your cousin, right?" Yukari asks. "Why does she call you Big Bro?"

"Cuz he acts like he is all the time," Chie mockingly says.

"Oh, so  **that's**  where "Sister-Complex Kingpin of Steel" came from." Yu hangs his head.

"Please… don't bring it up like that."

"Whoa, Yuka-tan! You look so mature in this picture," Junpei says. "I bet people would say you're her big sis." Nanako looks to Junpei.

"Big Sis?"

"There does appear to be some visible chemistry that can be easily mistaken as sisterhood," Aigis says.

"Big… Sis…"

" _Nanako-chan!_  Here, look at my new wallpaper!" Nanako looks at Yukari's phone wallpaper. The words that say "Nanako: My #1 Fan" shock her.

"This your dream come true." Nanako's face lits up and she bear hugs Yukari.

"Thank you, Big Sis!" she squeals. Everyone seems surprised.

"Big… Sis?" Yosuke and Chie repeat.

"Well, I guess Yuka-tan and Yu-kun are officially-" Junpei covers his mouth in mid sentence.

"Junpei-san, for your own safety, I advise you not to complete that sentence," Aigis says. Yukari glares at Junpei.

"Yeah, you'd better not finish that sentence." Junpei gulps. Yukari smiles and hugs Nanako back.

"Big Sis, huh? Sure. You can call me that anytime you want." Yosuke notices Chie staring off into the distance.

"What's up, Chie? _You see the world's largest beef bowl somewhere?_ " he mocks. Chie squints her eyes.

"No; that's the Mega Beef Bowl at Aiya's," Chie responds. "But… over there… is that Master?"

"Master?" Yukari ask. She stands up, surprised.

"W-Wait a sec! Y-You don't mean Akihiko-senpai, do you?!"

"What?! No way! I thought he went back to his hardcore training in some other country or something!" Junpei says. Suddenly, everyone hears a familiar man roar from a distance. Everyone looks where Chie is looking. There is a large, ecstatic crowd gathered. The man roar comes again.

"That is indeed Akihiko-san's-"

"MASTER!" Chie zooms over to where the crowd is. Yu and Yosuke sigh.

"She really respects him, doesn't she?" Yosuke says.

"Guess so." Everyone rushes after her.

In the crowd, Chie manages to get to the front just in time to see Akihiko send his opponent flying straight out of the large boxing ring. The bell rings and the crowd cheers as the referee raises Akihiko's right hand..

"That's win number 149 for Akihiko Sanada!" the announcer yells.

_Holy shit!_

_That guy's a monster!_

Akihiko wipes his brow of sweat.

"Phew. Is that it?" he asks. "I can do this all night!"

"Master!" Chie gets in the ring and wraps her arms and legs around Akihiko's right arm.

"Master!" Chie looks at Akihiko, who's face look totally emotionless.

"Hi," she says with a smile. Chie creeps up his arm.

"It's so good to see again! Did you miss me? Huh? Did you miss me?!" Akihiko stares at her a bit before smiling and shaking her off his arm.

"No." Chie stands up and laughs.

"Okay, okay. Well, I see you're busy, so I'll just get out of your hair-" Chie tries to walk away, but Akihiko picks her up by the collar and turns her his way.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Akihiko asks.

"Uh… outside the ring?"

"If you get in a boxing ring when someone is already inside, it's seen as a sign of aggression..." Akihiko puts on a determined smile.

"And there's only one way out." The awkward smile on Chie's face screams " _I don't_   _like where this is going"._

"Huh?"

Before she knew it, Chie was in boxing gear in one corner of the ring. Akihiko stretches out in the other corner. Chie starts panicking.

"W-W-Wait! Hold on! I-I don't even know the first thing about boxing!" she yells.

"For now, just punch! That's all!" Akihiko yells. "Ring the bell!" The bell rings to start the match. The others are on the sidelines watching.

"Oh boy, here we go," Yosuke and Yukari say. Chie reluctantly steps forward with her gloves covering most of her face. Akihiko quickly steps from left to right towards her.

"Ngh. O-Okay, Chie. Calm down. You've beaten Master in a fight before. This is no different. You can do this!" Chie focuses on Akihiko and bounces around in a stationary position.

"So, how's your training going?" Akihiko asks.

"Well, I-I kicked a dent in my training tree!" She tries throwing a few jabs at him. He dodges and hits her hip. She turns to face him.

"Alright, what else?"

"I, uh… jog 10 laps around the shopping district every other day." She throws some jabs and a right hook. Akihiko ducks and strikes her gut. She turns again.

"I see. What else?" Chie tries to think.

"Uh… that's pretty much it." Akihiko closes his eyes. Then, he glares at Chie and goes on the attack. He throws a barrage of jabs at Chie, with an occasional hook mixed in. Chie is getting dominated.

"I'm. Disappointed. You haven't been. Doing. Anything. With your arms."

"Huh?! But! My arms aren't! Really my! Best asset!" Akihiko stops for a second.

"That's the problem." Akihiko starts up again.

"You count on. Your legs. Too much. In a fight, you. have to be resourceful. You don't know when you. Might end up losing. Your best assets. I don't rely. Too much on my bare. Hands, my feet, or. Caesar. I keep their usefulness. Balanced so that if. I lose one of them, the. Others can back pick up the. Slack, understand?" Akihiko stops again. Chie tries to catch her breath in the corner.

"Yeah. I get it." Chie focuses on Akihiko and takes deep breath.

"Come on. Don't think, feel!" She screams as she throws everything she's got at Akihiko. Junpei laughs.

" _Ha ha ha ha ha ha!_ Oh boy!"

"That… that is embarrassing," Yu says. Chie thinks she's starting to rally… but Akihiko's doing the classic "hold your foes head back and let them flail their arms" trick on her. Chie quickly runs out of steam.

"Are you done?" Akihiko asks with a smile while readying an uppercut. Chie sighs in defeat.

"Yeah, go ahead." Akihiko sends Chie flying out of the ring and lands on the safety pillows in a daze.

"Ha ha ha… Twenty thousand Mega Beef Bowls, please?"

"Stamina still needs work." Akihiko sighs.

* * *

**Time: Late Night**

* * *

Karito takes Nanako to the bathroom as everyone else has gathered at the nearby benches to talk.

"So you guys were affected by the Black Hours too?" Akihiko asks.

"I seriously didn't expect it to hit Yu's city as bad as Inaba," Yosuke says. "The number of people found dead is past a hundred and twenty there."

"The death count in my town is past a hundred and ten," Yu says.

"Doesn't it seem kinda strange that Iwatodai has the lowest death count anywhere?" Junpei asks.

"It's still on the rise though," Yukari says. "That could change at anytime."

"Akihiko-san, is Labrys faring well?" Aigis asks. Akihiko smiles.

"You don't need to worry about her. She hasn't had any problems being out in the field." Aigis smiles.

"I'm not worried. She's my big sister, after all."

"This whole thing is definitely because of the Shadows, right?" Yukari asks.

"Yeah. That's not all though." Akihiko looks to the sky and sighs.

"Someone's controlling them… We just recently found that there are people who have gained the ability to tame them in their primordial forms." Everyone is shocked.

"Tame them?" Yu asks.

"There's no way!" Yosuke says. "The only to control a Shadow is if it turns into a Persona! Otherwise, it just runs wild!"

"Well, these guys we've been seeing have been able to summon and control them at will. They've also been able to use magic without using Personas. And they're very powerful."

"Seriously?!" Junpei asks.

"How many of those guys are there, Master?"

"So far, we've only encountered the same two every time, a Zio user and a Bufu user. Mitsuru thinks there might be more out there, but we still don't know for sure."

"There are definitely more out there," Yu says. "Hitting multiple locations around the world at night? You can't pull off something like that with just two people."

"Yeah. I think so, too," Yosuke says. "So, how's Naoto doing?"

"We agreed not to contact each other unless one of us has any useful info. Since finding the two tamers, we haven't talked."

"Hm..." Everyone goes into deep thought. Akihiko sighs.

"For now, we're just waiting for them to make their next move and slowing the death count. In the meantime, Mitsuru's coming back to Iwatodai. Labrys is at the airport waiting for her jet to land."

"Private jet, eh?" Junpei asks with a smile. "Whoa. Our senpai's really grown up, hasn't she?"

"Hmph. I couldn't agree more. By the way, I talked to her about asking you guys to help us out. You know what she said?"

"What did she say?" Aigis asks. Akihiko closes his eyes and smiles.

" _I do intend to inform them of our situation, but not to put new pieces on the field, but to ask our friends for their help._ I wasn't there when she said it. but I could tell she had that friendly smile on her face while she was saying it." Yukari smiles.

"Oh, they're coming back," Aigis says.

"Right. No need to worry those two about what's going on. This is just between us, alright?" Everyone nods. Kazuma and Nanako approach. Nanako looks around.

"What's wrong?" Yu asks her.

"I don't see Teddie," she answers.

"Oh, right. Yeah, I haven't seen him either. Where is he?"

"He should be on his way," Yosuke says. "Since I couldn't bring him with me during the move, I told him to stay over  **there**  until he gets enough money to stay here for a couple days. He called me saying he'd be rushing down here today."

"You sure he'll be alright?" Chie asks in concern. "Last time he took a train down here, he didn't have any luggage to look after."

"Wrong. He had his skin suit," Yu adds.

"Oh yeah." A phone starts ringing.

"That's me. Hold on." Yosuke answers his phone.

"Hello? ... Hey, what's up?" Yosuke jumps up with a surprised look on his face.

"What?! … Okay, okay, just calm down. I'll be right there." Yosuke hangs up.

"What's wrong?" Chie asks.

"There's a problem dealing with Rise's live performance." Yu and Chie stand up.

"Let's go see what's wrong, then," Yu says.

"Big Bro?" Yu turns to Nanako and Kazuma.

"Come on, Nanako. You can come too, Kazuma-san."

"You guys go ahead," Yukari says. "We'll be fine."

"Alright! Let's get backstage!" Kazuma and Nanako rush after Yosuke, Yu, and Chie, leaving the others behind.

* * *

**Place:**   **Junes Sponsored Concert Stage**

* * *

Everyone rushes backstage and Yosuke talks to the nearest staff member.

"Rise. Where is she?" They point further down the hall. Everyone rushes down. They look left and see Rise and the band she is supposed to perform with.

"Rise-chan!"

"Ah, Yosuke-senpai-!" As Yosuke walks towards her, she notices Yu.

"Alright, I'm here. What's the big-"

"Y-Yu-Senpai?!" Yu waves to Rise.

"Hey, Rise. Long time no-" Rise darts towards Yu and gives him a tight bear hug around his waist, cutting off his sentence. Rise screams with joy.

"Senpai! I can't believe it! Did you really come all the way here to see  **me**?!"

"Agh… Maru… can't... breathe…" Rise notices Yu's face turning blue and loosens her hug. Yu catches his breath.

"W-Well… that's... kinda true." Rise blushes and giggles.

"Senpai, you are so sweet!" Yosuke snaps his fingers to regain her attention.

"Uh,  _hellooo_?! The big emergency?!"

"Oh yeah! I just got off the phone with the local hospital. Our lead guitarist just got into an accident. He can't make it."

"Can't you just go on without him?"

"The songs we were going to play are centered on both the lead vocal and lead guitar riffs," says the male drummer. "They won't sound good if one of them is missing."

"And no one else knows how to play his parts," a vocal girl says.

"Well, what do we do?!" Chie asks. "A lot of those people came out here just to see you!"

"Maybe we'll just do the autographs?" the second vocal girl says. As everyone is brainstorming ideas, Kazuma shyly raises his hand.

"Uh… C-Can I see his song sheets?" he asks Rise. Everyone looks to him.

"Huh?"

"Your lead guitar's song sheets. Can I see 'em?" Rise looks to her group and shrugs. The bass guitarist give him the lead guitarist's song sheets. He takes a quick look at them.

"Well? What's up?" asks the guy on bass. Kazuma nods in confidence.

"Yeah, yeah… I can play these!" Everyone is surprised.

"Huh?! W-What do you mean?!" Rise asks.

"It's kinda a hobby of mine," Kazuma answers. "I actually play a little guitar myself and the people back at my old town kept saying I was the best guitarist they had. I came up with a way for me to get some really good practice. I listen to a lot of famous songs, then I play the guitar riffs." Kazuma waves the song sheets in his hand.

"I had just gotten these down pat before I moved."

"So, what're you saying?" Chie asks. "You think you can fill for the lead guitarist?"

"What time does the concert start?" Yu asks.

"Eleven," the first vocal girl asks. "We have an hour and fifteen."

"Get him a guitar and see what he can do."

"Here. We got a spare." The bass guitarist hands Kazuma the spare electric guitar.

"If you're up for this, okay," Rise says. "Let's test you out first." Rise gives Kazuma a music test to see if he'll be able to pull this off.

**xxx**

Somewhere in the more lively parts of the city, a shady figure puts their hand to their ear to listen to the wind, then turn towards the the location of the Junes Party.

"... This song… it's for… the heart…"

* * *

**Chapter: End**


	6. Song of Awakening

Kazuma finishes playing the last song of the concert, passing Rise's test with flying colors, his riff playing and tempo completely on point with what it is required for the concert. And he played them so fluidly, like it was natural to him.

After his big finish echoes through the room, everyone applauds Kazuma's incredible performance.

"Dude, that... that was A-level perfect!" cheers the drummer.

"Alright! Yeah! I think he's got it!" the second vocal girl says. Rise jumps for joy.

" _ **Woo-hoo!**_  The concert is  **saved!** " Yosuke, Yu, and Chie walks up to Kazuma with smiles on their faces.

"Hey, not bad! Not bad at all!" Yosuke says.

"Yeah! You might just pull this off!" Chie says.

"You've definitely got the talent for it," Yu says. Karito sheepishly nods.

"Eh he he… Thanks." Yosuke scratches his head.

"You sure you're up for this, though?" he asks. "You'll be playing for real people out there, and there are hundreds of 'em. Those skills won't mean anything if you freeze up all of a sudden." Chie punches Yosuke's arm.

"You moron! Don't tell him that! You're gonna freak him out!"

"Ow! R-Right. Sorry…" Kazuma hangs his head and gulps.

"Nervous?" Yu asks.

"Yeah, but that'll help a lot," Karito says. "My fear's gonna power me up." Rise smiles.

" **That's**  the attitude I'm looking for! Okay, let's get a little more practice in, then get you a wardrobe change." Yu and the others start leaving the room.

"We're gonna go get some good seats," Yosuke says. They stop before leaving.

"Hey, Kazuma-san?" Kazuma looks to Yu. Yu gives him a thumbs up.

"If it means anything, we believe in you." Yosuke, Chie, and Nanako nod in agreement. Karito stares at them for a moment, then nods.

"Thanks," he says with smile.

"Okay, we're off," Chie says.

"Good luck up there," Nanako says. The group leaves the room.

" _I'm gonna blow you a big, sweet kiss,_ " Rise yells. " _So you'd better catch it, Yu-senpai!_ " Yu laughs nervously.

" _ **Ugh! This girl!**_ " Chie groans.

"So,  **that's**  the guy you're going gaga over?" the second vocal girl asks. "I can see why." Rise glares at her.

"Hey, back off! He's mine!" Kazuma and the band get ready for some last minute practice.

* * *

**Place: Tatsumi Airport**

* * *

The Kirijo Private Jet has landed. A flight attendant opens the door to let Mitsuru out. She steps down the rolling flight of stairs and walks between the line of people in black suits. They bow as she walks down the path to the black limousine.

" **Welcome home, Madam Kirijo.** " Mitsuru smiles and nods to all of them.

"It's always good to be home," she says. The driver opens the door for her. She stops and bits her lip.

"I'm ashamed to say this, but I don't really know where I want to go at the moment."

"Think nothing of the sort, Madam," the driver says with a smile. "I shall keep the car in park. When you have decided, inform me and I will escort you without delay."

"Thank you." She slowly enters the limo and the driver closes the door. She sits there in the darkness.

"Well, ain't you lookin' as lovely as eva."

"Hm. Hello, Labrys." Labrys is sitting at the other end of the car, smiling.

"Been a couple months since we been back heya, huh?" she says.

"When I think about everything that's happened here, a couple months always feels like years."

"Ya really love dis place, don'tcha, Mitsuru-san?"

"This place is where I underwent a major turning point in my life, defining and changing who I am as a person and meeting such wonderful friends." Mitsuru pull out her personal Evoker and stares at it.

"I would not be in the position I am today without them. Akihiko, Yukari…" Mitsuru puts on a depressing face.

"And most of all...  **him**." Labrys looks confused.

" _Him?_ " Mitsuru shakes her head.

"Oh, it's nothing. Speaking of Akihiko, where is he?"

"He said somethin' about goin' to that Junes grand openin' paty."

"I see."

"Hey, don'tcha think it ain't such good idea havin' that paty this late at night with all the stuff happenin'?"

"Believe me, I had the same concern, but it was already in the works. I insisted that the Junes staff allow Kirijo security to survey the area if they were so willing to go through with it. However, in times like these, people need something to keep their focus off the world. Shadows should **never** be allowed be allowed to become common knowledge." Mitsuru smiles.

"I'm actually relieved that Akihiko will be in the area if anything happens." Mitsuru's phone rings for a text message. She checks her phone and looks surprised as she read it.

"As well as Yukari, Aigis, Iori… and a few others. Hm."

"Who?" Labrys leans forward.

"Ya mean Yu-kun and them?" Mitsuru puts her phone away.

"Only Narukami, Hanamura, and Satonaka are present, as well as Kujikawa. No doubt it's because of the Black Hours." Labrys looks down.

"Wonda what Aigis is doin'?" Mitsuru looks to Labrys and smiles.

"You wanted to go, didn't you?" Labrys is flustered.

"Uh, n-no! I-It's fine. It don't really sound like that much fun anyway. I can't eat nothin'... I could easily beat those kiddie games an'... score a giant, fluffy teddy bear." Labrys hang her head.

"Yeah, I wanna go." Mitsuru giggles and hold the comm button.

"Driver, do you happen to know where Junes Grand Opening Party is?"

"Right away, Madam," says the driver through the intercom. Labrys' eyes light up.

"We're really goin'?!" she asks. Mitsuru giggles.

"We can have fun with our friends every once in awhile," she says. Labrys fist pumps.

"Ho yeah! Giant purple octopus, I'm comin' for ya!" Mitsuru looks confused.

"I... thought you said you wanted a teddy bear."

* * *

**Place: Junes Concert Backstage**

* * *

After last minute practice, the band is waiting in the waiting room for Kazuma and Rise to get back from the dressing room. The bass guitarist peeks out of the room and calls for Rise.

"Risette-y Confetti! Five minutes! Let's go!" he yells.

"Hang on! We're coming!" She backs up out of the doorway and Rise pokes her head in.

"This was last minute, so don't make fun of me!" she says. She walks in, pulling a wardrobe changed Kazuma in with her.

"What do you guys think? Good? Bad?" The band checks Kazuma out.

"Hm… Nice," the drummer says. "Looking good, kid."

"Yeah. Especially with that scarf on," the first vocal girl says. The bad nods in agreement.

"Awesome! We're ready to go!" Rise says in excitement. Kazuma takes a deep breath and pulls his collar. Rise pats his shoulder.

"Don't worry. You'll be just fine." Kazuma looks to Rise.

"If it means anything, **we** believe in you too." The band agrees and Karito nods at them with appreciation. The bass guitarist hands Kazuma a different guitar than the one he used for practice.

"Pretty sure he won't mind if you used it for the night." Kazuma takes the guitar and whistles in awe of the model.

" _Whoa!_  A black and red Danelectro Wild Thing! Your guy's got good taste!" The band laughs, then Rise looks around at her band and nods.

"Okay! Everybody, hands in!" Kazuma and the rest do what she says, gathering around in a circle and putting their hands on top of each other.

"Kid, when she says 'Who's ready?", you say " **We are!** ", got it?" the drummer asks Kazuma.

"Gotcha!" Rise grins.

_"Be grateful for your friends, your fans, for_   **yourself!** " she says. _ **"** This a full-blown one time only performance! Now who's ready?!"_

_" **We are!** "_

"Well, everyone…  _ **Showtime!**_ " Everyone nods as they follow her onto the dark stage.

* * *

**Place: In front of Junes Sponsored Stage**

* * *

An enormous crowd is gathered in front of stage, bursting with anticipation. Yukari, Aigis, Junpei, and Akihiko are waiting in the crowd.

"Ugh. I'm not used to standing in such a large crowd," Yukari groans.

"If you wander off, it'll be difficult to find us again," Aigis says. "Please stay close."

"Yeah, I know." Yukari notices Yu and the others approach.

"How'd it go?"

"Good, I guess," Yosuke answers. "The lead guitarist got in an accident in his way here, so he couldn't make it."

"They managed to find a replacement," Chie says. "I just hope he'll do alright."

"He'll be fine," Yu says reassuringly. Nanako pulls down on Yu's arm.

"Big Bro, I can't see!" Yu kneels down, then stands back up, with Nanako on his shoulders. Yukari smiles.

"You really do have a sister complex."

"Don't bring it up like that! You make it sound wrong," Yu groans. Nanako giggles as she lightly rocks back and forth in. Junpei looks around, noticing that the group is one person short.

"Hey, aren't we missing someone?" he asks. "Where's that Youthful Genius guy?" Yukari looks around too.

"Kazuma…? Ya know what, yeah! Where is he?!" Yosuke grins at them.

"Ha ha ha…  _ **You'll see.**_ " The crowd roars, indicating that the show is about to start, and Aigis' attention is drawn to the shadowy figure on the stage.

"Yukari-san, I've found him!" she says.

"Really?! Is he in the crowd somewhere?"

"No…" One of the spotlights on stage turn on above it as Aigis points to it.

"He's performing on stage."

Everyone turns to the stage and are shocked to see Kazuma is his new threads: Black and white Z-strap shoes, black white-outlined baggy pants, black tank top, short shine silver leather jacket, long black fingerless gloves, curved pointy V shades on his head, and a long yellow scarf that wrapped around his neck and dropped down to the middle of his back.

He stands there, shielding his eyes from the light, as he is the only person on stage that the spotlight reveals.

"What the hell?!" Junpei yells.

"T-That  **is**  him up there!" Yukari yells. " **He's** the replacement?!" Yu, Yosuke, and Chie are surprised by his stage clothes.

"She sure knows how to pick a wardrobe, huh?" Yosuke says.

"Well… if you wanna look good no matter what," Chie says. "Black, white, and silver's the way to go… I guess."

Kazuma takes a couple deep breaths to calm himself down, seeing the crowd that's bigger than he thought it'd be.

_It's like one big lake of people!_

He closes his eyes and gets into position, the crowd falling silent and Rise speaking to him from within the darkness.

"Don't worry, Kazuma-san. You can do this." Kazuma nods, confident puts on his shades, and gets his hand into position, prepared to play. Suddenly, he hears a mysterious voice in his head.

_"Thou art I... and I am thou. The time has come! Claim your right and call forth to the sea!"_

The voice stops, disappearing as quickly as it came. Kazuma wonders what it was, but ultimately decides to focus on what he's doing now.

After the drummer starts up the tempo, Kazuma starts playing his riffs. The first part of the song is a guitar solo that's followed up with everyone bursting in for backup. The crowd goes crazy as Rise dances up to the mic.

_"One thing that I'm sure of is that you gotta fit in to survive this madness, oh boy."_

Kazuma is able to play his parts perfectly and the crowd continues to shout. He gradually smiles, feeling more comfortable on stage, as he lightly bounces his head to the tempo as Rise and her vocal singers continue to sing.

_"Way to fake yourself, get played on and I've been there, done that, same pre-dic-a-ment, but it's time you give up, maverick..._

_Break out~ of the dome~! It's time to take a step up, no more cruising alone (for better good~)! Break out~! of the shell~! deep down inside of you lies love in our heart~!_

_No need to fear! It's **time! You! Burn! That! Dread!** "_

Kazuma manages to keep up his momentum and the crowd is loving it, their cheers growing gradually louder as the song goes on. Yu and the others seem to be enjoying themselves.

"Guy's looking really good up there!" Yosuke says.

"Yeah! He's doing awesome!" Chie says. Yu smiles as he watches Nanako dance around on his shoulders. Junpei's starting to do a little air guitar dance. He nudges Akihiko, who stands there like statue.

"Whoa, hey! I'm really feeling it!" Junpei yells. "C'mon, Senpai! Stop standing there and shake it!"

"I-I don't dance!" Akihiko says. Yukari grabs Aigis' hands and starts swinging them back and forth.

"C'mon, Aigis! Dance with me!" she says.

"Dance?"

"Don't worry! Just do what I do!" Aigis tries to copy Yukari.

Kazuma starts dancing to the music with his guitar as the song continues. Suddenly, his pupils start glowing yellow and starts seeing something strange as he plays: A dark blue aura surrounding him and his guitar. The strings that he is suppose to pluck glow with light.

He looks at Rise and the others. The band is surrounded by a white aura, but Rise's aura is bright orange and it looks like some shadowy figure is in it, standing behind her. He looks to the crowd and sees a lot of white auras, but he also see a few random colored auras with shadowy figures in them. All of the auras seem to be surging into him, riling him up intensely.

When his guitar solo comes up, something in Kazuma is triggered and he gives everything he's got into it. He feels and sees invisible forces pulse from him and onto the crowd, making the aura dance around and swirl in the air. He feels the wind start to pick up and the crowd was too into the song to notice it. Whatever set off inside him was surging a lot of unknown raw power through his body. By the near end of the song, he felt like he was going to explode.

" _Break out~! of the ease~! Reasons that you put up ain't gonna last for much long~! (for better 'r worse~!)_

_Break out~! of the doom~! Deep down inside of you lies love in our heart~!_

_No need to fear! It's **time! You! Burn! That! Dread!** " _

Rise and the band let him do the finishing guitar solo. Kazuma gives it everything again and at the final note, he jumps into the air and, as soon as he hits the ground, puts all the power that surged through him into it.

With massive explosive force, a blast of wind erupts from the stage, through the crowd, and into the sky. Nanako starts losing balance on Yu's shoulders.

"W-W-W-Whoa! B-B-Big Bro!"

"Ngh! Hang on, Nanako! I gotcha!" Everyone shields their eyes from the powerful gust of wind that slowly subsides. Kazuma catches his breath, then opens his eyes, which are now gray again, to see the crowd staring at the stage in total shock. He turn to notices Rise and the others staring at him, then each other. They notice the crowd slowly start clapping, then explode into a great roar of cheers.

" _I dunno what the hell that was, but it was awesome!"_

_"Woo! Best concert ever!"_

_"Risette is back, and even better than ever!"_

The band smiles and waves to the crowd. Yu and the others cheer for them too.

"What was that?!" Yukari asks. I've never seen anything like that before!"

"Whoa! Yeah! That was unbelievable!" Junpei yells.

"I've never heard of any band doing  **that**  before!" Yosuke says. Rise runs back and forth on the stage, waving high to the ones in front.

"Rise-chan! Yay!" Nanako cheers.

"Rise's getting really serious about her comeback!" Chie says. "She must've put in a lot of hard work into that!" Yu smiles as he stares at Kazuma, who is still trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah… But I think someone in her band helped her with that," he says. Yu notices Rise point at him. As she promised, she closes her eyes and blow him a kiss. He reluctantly catches it.

"D-Did you really just do that?" Yukari asks.

"S-She would've gotten upset if I didn't!" Back on the stage, Kazuma is still catching his breath while wondering about that sudden burst of power.

"What… the hell... was that?"

* * *

**Place: En route to Iwatodai Junes**

* * *

"Repeat that again!"

Mitsuru is on speaker phone with someone from Kirijo HQ.

"We just picked up an extremely massive Shadow reading from Junes!" yells the person on the phone. "It was completely off the charts! And whatever it was, it just sent out a large shock wave throughout the city."

"The whole city?!" Labrys asks. "Did anything happen?!"

"No. There doesn't seem to be any damage to the area." Labrys sighs in relief.

"But there is one thing." Mitsuru and Labrys lean in.

"We just detected the two bogies we've been encountering on the outskirts of the city."

"And?" Mitsuru asks.

"We don't know the exact nature of the shock wave, but it looks it's lured the bogies to the area." Mitsuru and Labrys are shocked.

"Order all normal units in the area to evacuate all civilians and pursue the source of the shock wave immediately!" Mitsuru orders. "Persona units are to stand by and engage the enemy on sight!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Mitsuru hangs up and pushes the button to open the sunroof.

"Labrys!"

"Gotcha!" The axe on Labrys' back turns into a jet pack and blasts off out of the sunroof and towards Junes.

"Driver!"

"Right away, ma'am!" The limousine speeds away, making a beeline towards the party.

* * *

**Chapter: End**


	7. Terror Attack

**Place: Junes Sponsored Concert Stage**

* * *

Rise stylishly spins the mic in her hand and points at the crowd with a playful wink.

 _"Maru- **Q** , Iwatodai!"_ she yells to the crowd. "How are we all doing tonight?!" The crowd roars and she giggles.

"It  _ **sooo**_  good to be back here after three years! Last time, it didn't go so well, so here's hoping for a good night! And I gotta say, we're off to great start! I love, love,  **love**  the energy you guys are giving use! Thanks a lot!" The crowd continues to roar until Rise gestures them to settle down.

"Now, I wanna take a sec to thank someone. You see the thing is, our original lead guitar got into an accident on his way here and couldn't make it, so for a while, we thought we'd have to cancel tonight's performance." The crowd boos at the idea and Rise nods in agreement.

"Yeah, yeah. That would've sucked. But luckily for us, we happen to find someone who could play for him. Honestly, he did  _ **waaay**_  better than we thought he would. I could tell you guys were, literally, blown away." The crowd cheers in agreement.

"He did an amazing job! The way he riled you guys up was like nothing I've ever seen and we appreciate him  **so**   **so**  much for giving it all he's got. Now, please join us as we give a big warm round of applause thank to our hero of the day. Our replacement lead guitarist, Kazuma Tenshi!"

Kazuma doesn't notices all the eyes on him or hear the cheers coming his way while in deep thought. He can't help but wonder what energy was oozing out of him. Did it really come from him?

He notices the mic head to his face, turns to Rise, who is pointing the mic at him, and lifts his shades.

"... What?" Everyone laughs and Rise giggles.

"I think someone spaced out," she says. Kazuma shakes his head to clear his mind.

"We were all just talking about how hard you  **rocked**  that song. Everyone was starstruck.  **I**  was starstruck! Isn't that right?!" The crowd cheers in agreement.

"That was your first time performing a song on a stage like this, right? How did it feel?" Kazuma looks to the massive crowd, nervous about how he's just been put on the spot.

"U-Um… Uh…" He gulps, licks his lips, then turns back to Rise as he wipes the sweat off his brow.

"W-Well, I… I-I-I, um... I-I was just... t-trying not to p-piss my pants." Rise giggles.

"Yeah, that's how I felt my first time..." Rise steps back a bit.

"... Wait…  _ **did you?**_ " Kazuma checks the front of his pants for signs of wetness. Finding none, he sighs in relief and shakes his head. Rise sighs and hangs hers.

"...You're so lucky." Rise blushes.

"Um… D-Did I just say that into the mic?" The crowd laughs.

In the crowd, Akihiko gets a phone call and answers it.

"This is Sanada." Akihiko gets a shocked look on his face.

"W-What?!  **Here?!** " Yukari notices.

"Senpai? What's wrong?" she asks, not noticing that Aigis is glaring intently at Kazuma.

Back on stage, Rise clears her throat.

"Ahem! A-Anyway, you were absolutely incredible!" Rise says. "Going hard and having fun, like you put your heart into it! Our usual lead is pretty good, but I've never seen anyone play like  **you** before! Now, I think I speak for the band and the whole audience when I say this: You saved the concert and made it rock! Thank you  _ **sooo**_  much for being here!" Rise, the band, and the crowd cheer for Kazuma. He blushes and scratches his head.

"Well, I'm… glad to be here," he says. Rise turns to the crowd, ready for action once again.

"So, you guys ready for another-" Suddenly, police sirens echo through the air. Everyone looks around in confusion.

"Huh?! What the…?!" Chie says.

"W-What's going on?!" Yosuke yells. A megahorn sounds off.

_"Attention all civilians within the area! This is not a drill! We have just received a terrorist threat on the vicinity! Please evacuate the area as soon as possible! I repeat…"_

The crowd starts going into a panic, fearing the incoming threat. Yu lets Nanako down to the ground and holds her.

"B-Big Bro?!"

"It's okay. I'm right here with you. Everything's gonna be alright."

" **A-A threat?!** " Junpei yells. "W-What the hell does that mean?!"

"Target identified!" Aigis exclaims. Everyone looks to Aigis.

"Ai-chan?!"

"Beginning pursuit!" Aigis squats down, deploys her jet pack, and skyrockets into the air with a powerful leap.

"Wait! Aigis!" Yukari yells.

Kazuma, Rise, and the band look around.

"W-What's happening?!" Rise asks. Suddenly, Aigis comes crashing down between Kazuma and Rise, making a crater in the stage floor.

"A-Aigis?!"

"Step back, Rise-san!" Aigis glares at Kazuma, stands, and points the finger tips of her right hand at him. Gun barrel sized hole open on the end of her finger tips.

"Lay down your weapon and surrender quietly!" Rise and Kazuma are shocked.

"W-W-Whoa! What the-?!"

"Aigis! What're you-" Akihiko sees Aigis and realizes what she's doing.

"Nice eye, Aigis." Akihiko rushes to the stage.

"Master?!" Chie yells. She rushes after him.

"Chie, wait!" Yosuke yells. The others run after her.

Police are escorting people out of the area as a squad of Kirijo troops rush to Akihiko's side. They stop at the front of the stage, their sights set on the boy with the guitar.

"Sir, what are your orders?" One of them asks. Akihiko pulls out his Evoker and points at Kazuma.

" **You!**  Don't try to resist! Surrender peacefully or we  **will**  open fire!"

"A-Akihiko-san?!" Rise yells. Kazuma starts feeling the overwhelming tension of the situation.

"Wha-?! W-What  **is**  this?! What's going on?!" Chie and the others catch and are shocked by what they see.

"Master?! Master, what're you doing?!"

"Get back! The two hostiles that we're hunting down are heading this way! They were drawn here by the beacon  **he** sent!"

"What?! What're you talking about?!" Yukari asks. "He doesn't know anything about any of this!" Akihiko receives a transmission from Mitsuru.

"Akihiko! The hostiles are right on top of you!"

"What?!" Suddenly, the two cloaked figures from earlier land between Akihiko and the stage. They both smile wickedly.

"Well, well, well, wel-li-li, weldy, well! What do we have  **here**?!" the first one asks.

"Did someone start a party without inviting little young us?!" the second one asks. Akihiko growls. Kazuma sees that everyone is distracted by the strangers' sudden appearence. Whatever's going on, he doesn't like it.

His instincts yelling at him to run, Kazuma takes the guitar and prepares to swing at Aigis. The body of it glows and summons an electric current as he swings before striking Aigis on the back of her head, then changing back. The strike sends a severe shock through Aigis, paralyzing her and knocking her to the ground, which shocks Akihiko.

"Aigis!"

Kazuma wonders what why the guitar took that form just now. Then, he sees an Evoker that fell out of her shirt and slid to him. He grabs it, believing it to be a handgun for self defense, before escaping back stage.

"Sis, our prize is getting away!" the second cloak says.

"No, it's  **not**!" The cloaked figures jump high into the air, heading behind the stage.

"After them!" Akihiko orders his troops. They rush around the stage to follow them. Yu runs after them.

"Big bro!"

"Yu, what're you doing?!" Yosuke yells.

"Finding out what's going on!"

"Senpai, wait!" Rise chases after him. Yosuke grunts and looks to the others.

"Let's go after him!"

"Huh?! W-What about Nanako-chan?!" Chie asks.

"Take her with us!"

"Hey, wait up!" Yosuke and Junpei run ahead. Yukari, still confused by what's happening, picks up Nanako.

"Ah! Big sis!" Yukari smiles at her confidently.

"Don't worry! I gotcha!" Yukari runs after the others, leaving Chie just standing there by herself, scratching her head in frustration.

"Why does everything always happen so damn fast?!" she groans. She notices that she's being left behind and sprints after everyone.

"Ack! Hey! Wait for me!"

After rushing through the backstage, Kazuma rushes out the back door and holds it closed behind him. He tries to catch his breath, but hears Akihiko and his men coming from the right.

"Should I really even be running?" he asks himself. "They're basically the police." The cloaked figures appear from the sky in front of him.

"Boo there!" yells the second one. Kazuma runs left towards the maze of food and game stands, rushing through the terrified crowd.

As he is running, he hears a set of jet engines roaring above him. He looks back to the sky and sees Aigis engaging him in hot aerial pursuit.

"Freeze! You can't escape me!" Kazuma ducks down and sprints deeper into the festival maze. Aigis tries to pursue him, but a hail of Bufu shards cut her off, along with a swarm Halbirie and masked crow Shadows surrounding her. She hears the cloaked hostiles cackling below.

"Sorry, Tin Toots! He's  **ours!** " Aigis growls as focuses on the Shadows surrounding her, angry that the two enemies and Kazuma are getting away.

Kazuma pops out of the maze and dashes towards the June's building on his left.

"Running from the police is  **one thing!**  Running from crazy flying terrorists and freakin' robots is another!" When he gets to the door, he tries to open it, but it won't open.

"Dammit! Locked!" He curses, punching the glass. When he turns around, he finds himself surrounded, Akihiko and his troops in a circle and the cloaked figures crash down right in front of him.

"Stand down now!"

"Sorry! I only know how to stand up!" yells the second cloak. Yu and the others catch up.

"Akihiko-san, what're you doing?!" Yu asks Akihiko.

" **Those**  are the two we've been chasing!" he replies. "The two  **he**  led hear! That wind blast from before was a signal beacon!"

"H-Hang on! How do you even know if he led them here on purpose?!" Rise asks. "It could've been by mistake!"

"Mistake or not, we're here, we're queer, get the hell used to it!" the second cloak yells. The first cloaked figure clocks the second one on the head.

"What're you doing sayin' shit like that out loud, you dumb ass?!" the first one yells.

"Ow! Sorry! I just really wanted to say it!"

"Anyway, don't worry about us! We're just gonna take our friend here and go!" The first cloak wickedly smiles.

"Or… do you  **want**  us to take your minds while we're at it?" Akihiko is confused.

"Our minds?" he repeats.

"Sir! Shadows from above!" yells one of the troops. Akihiko looks up to notice a swarm of masked crow and Halbirie shadows.

Meanwhile, Aigis is zooming around fighting the Shadows that are pursuing her in the sky, but she soon finds herself slowly being overwhelmed.

"Aigis!" A massive axe attached to a robotic arm flies through the air, slashing an opening through the Shadow swarm. Aigis looks and smiles to see Labrys flying towards her with her jetpack.

"Sister!" The two fly to each other's side and face the swarm, back to back.

"Need a hand?!"

Back on the ground, Kazuma's heart races with fear as he tries to get a grasp of the current situation. A minute ago, he was rocking out onstage with a famous idol. Now, he's being pursued by special forces, terrorists, robots, and monsters.

_What is this…?! Why the hell is this happening…?!_

The second cloak approaches Kazuma with a wicked smile and reach out their electrified hand to him.

"C'mon, friend! Let's get outta here!  _He he he he he…!_ " Kazuma's heart races even more, feeling his life being put in jeopardy, as he slowly backs into the wall.

"N-No…! Stop…! Get back…!" When it's almost about to touch him, the electricity making his spiky hair stiff up, his eyes suddenly glow with a burning golden yellow and dark blue flames appear all over his body.

_" **STAY AWAAAAY!!!** "_

Suddenly, the flames turn into an aura that erupts from his body and engulfs the entire area, turning all of the surrounding Shadows black.

"What the-?!" The troops panic as the wind starts to pick up.

From the air, Labrys and Aigis notice the strange phenomena, as well as the Shadows turning into ooze and converging on the same point. The collective ooze gushes its way into Karito's body through all the hole on his head, even his eyes and mouth.

"I'm pickin' up a weird energy signature! Is it coming from  **him?!** "

When all of it is completely absorbed, Kazuma, taken over by the monstrous power, roars like a wild animal and swinging the guitar in all directions, sending out violent blasts electric Zio and wind Garu magic. The terrorists jump back to dodge.

"GET DOWN!" Akihiko commands. Everyone ducks in cover to avoid the boy's rampant attacks.

"What's happening to him?!" Chie shouts. The second terrorist dashes towards Kazuma with their electrified hand ready.

"Hey! Calm down, you little- NGUH!" Kazuma smashes them upside their head with the distorted guitar, sending them crashing into the other one. Kazuma suddenly drops to his knees and wraps himself in his arms, feeling his heart painfully pulsate. Unable to contain the influx of power, he lets out an explosive roar that causes the aura to abruptly turn into a massive cyclone that pierces the sky.

"Danger! Massive spike in power detected!" Aigis shouts. "Situation critical!" The two robots are suddenly yanked towards the twister be its powerful rotation.

"Whoa!" Labrys yells. "What the heck-?!" The two scream as they are caught in the cyclone's current. The current sweeps everyone inside and near the area off the ground and into the air, even Karito. Most of them are screaming.

"What the hell is this?!" Yosuke shouts. " _ **Waaaaaah!**_ " Yu sees Yukari trying to hold onto Nanako as tight as she can.

"Nanako!" he yells.

"Big sis!"

"Hang on, Nanako-chan! I gotcha!" Yukari yells. "Just hang on!" The gust of wind hits them, knocks Nanako out of Yukari's arms, and carries her away as she screams.

" _ **NANAKOOO!**_ "

Swept up by the wind, Kazuma is engulfed in blue flames as he slowly loses consciousness.

* * *

 **Place:**   **Outside the area**

* * *

Mitsuru's limousine is speeding towards the area. The driver notices the cyclone and hits the brakes. Mitsuru notices the car come to a screeching halt and gets out to see what is going on. When she gets out, she gasps at the sight of the cyclone.

"What in the world?!"

The cyclone suddenly shrinks down and becomes a towering mass of black ooze. The ooze twists itself around and becomes a grotesque tower with the name "Junes" spelled going down in big, billboard letters. The sight of the structure makes Mitsuru's.

"... Yet another tower…?"

* * *

**Chapter: End**


	8. Nanashi, The Emptied

**Place: Inside the Junes tower**

**Time: Midnight**

* * *

After spending hours in an unconscious state, Kazuma slowly awakens in a daze, looking up at the ceiling above him that seems to go on forever. He slowly sits up, feeling the pain of an impact he doesn't remember, then looks around to see he is sitting an ominous, dark, red corridor.

"Ugh… What the… Where… am I?" He stands up and notices he still has the guitar he borrowed from Rise's band and the Evoker he stole from Aigis. Ahead of him, he sees that the corridor goes farther down. Behind him is a wall.

Suddenly, his pupils turn yellow like before and he gets an image of what lies beyond the corridor. It goes a long way until he sees a pink sapient figure.

"What is this?" He starts to recognize the shape of pink sapient figure.

"Is that… Yukari?" The vision abruptly ends when Kazuma hears a loud noise behind him. He turns around and sees a black hole in the wall... and something big is coming out of it!

"I don't like where this is going!" He backs away from the wall, see the dark entity grab the sides of the hole to pull himself out, then starts running the other direction and keeps running until he enters an open space. He tries to get to the opening on the left when to five Maya Shadows emerge from the ground and get in his way, making him stop in his tracks.

"W-What the hell are these things?!" He hears a loud stomp sound from behind him and turns back. A tall, black, muscular giant with blue hair, wearing a thong, shiny boots, and a mask stands there, towering over him and blocking his path. Kazuma backs away, then turns back at the Maya Shadows, and then back to the muscular one.

"Shit, shit,  **shit**! T-There's nowhere for me to go…!" The dark creatures slowly close in on their defenseless prey.

Suddenly, he starts getting a piercing headache, shuts his eyes, and collapses to his knees while holding his head in pain, hearing the voice from before ring in his ears.

" _This... is not your destiny..."_

When Kazuma opens his eyes, he finds himself standing in an ocean once again. This time, he can see a massive white moon sitting on the horizon before him, along with a figure cloaked in flames of black. Its presence looked ominous, yet Kazuma felt that he did not need to fear it. Instead, he steps forward.

" _This is not your journey's end... You are to end another's tale... The tale of a savior, lost in the darkness of the Sea's abyss... But with the long-awaited forging of our contract... the songs of your heart shall reach his ears and pull him back into the light..."_ Kazuma stops and stares at the figure.

"Who... W-Who... are you...?" The figure slowly turns to reveal a mirror mask reflecting Kazuma's face, then floats off the ground and flies straight into his heart in a stream of water.

" _I am thou... Thou art I... Take up thy strings, one who walks with the children of man... The hymns of thy heart must be heard... Let thy power flood forth and ring out a mighty_   _song..._ " Kazuma's body suddenly starts glowing radiantly, blinding him.

_" **The song that shall make waves throughout the Sea of All Souls!** "_

He opens his eyes, this time to return to reality, and notices the Evoker glowing in his left hand. He holds it to his face and stares at it, looking at it in a different way than he did when he first saw it.

" _This thing… this isn't… a handgun…_ " Something about his situation seems… natural. Is it familiar, maybe? No… it's more like a call to a hidden nature... a side of him he never knew. The intense feeling makes him glare at the Evoker.

" _... This isn't a weapon at all._ "

He closes his eyes and a flood of images rush through his mind until he sees a blurry image of a large gate in a black space with a statue in front of it. He recalls some of the words from a strange dream he had before.

_" **You will meet him… and he will need you… okay?** "_

The giant creature steps toward him. Kazuma, with his eyes closed, slowly puts the head of the Evoker to the side of his head. While the giant creature balls up his right fist, Kazuma takes a deep breath, slowly gets back to his feet, smiles devilishly, and slowly and softly speaks as he courageously pulls the trigger.

* * *

_" **Perrr…**_

_**Sooo...** _

_**Naaa...** "_

* * *

The sudden artificial blast blows his head back and the dark blue flames and aura from before encircles and engulfs him. As the giant prepares to punch, Kazuma hunches forward for a bit, then lets out a powerful roar, making the entire area quake. A deity created from the flames, having copied his physique, emerges from Kazuma to spring forth and block the giant's attack. It pushes the giant back, then flies around it, and lands at Kazuma's side. With a flash of its circle guard broadsword wrapped in bandages, the giant is slashed to bloody pieces.

The being's flames die down to reveal its true form: a boy wearing a torn black zipped up robe with a long hood that cover his eyes and sleeves that cover his hands and torn white pants. Each movements he makes notions that he his body is mechanical.

The remains of the shadow surge into Kazuma, who is still sporting that fiendish smile, as he turns to the Maya Shadows blocking his path. With a better understanding of his new power, Kazuma wills the guitar to change form. This time, it turns into an energy sword, with a circle guard handle appearing in the middle of the neck and the strings of the guitar still intact. Kazuma strikes a yellow narrow eyed glare at his enemies.

" _ **Let's rock… Nanashi...**_ " Kazuma and his Persona, Nanashi, dash toward their enemy, prepared for battle.

**xxx**

Somewhere else in the tower, Aigis awakens in an open space on the floor. She gets to her feet and looks around.

"Where am I?" She starts calling out to her friends in the darkness.

"Akihiko-san?! Yukari-san?! Junpei-san?! Sister?! Is anyone there?!" No response. She notices that her school uniform is in ridiculously bad shape.

"Ah. It seems I have damaged another uniform," she sighs. "This makes it number 4. Yukari-san is going to "read me the riot act" for this." Aigis notices something very amiss that plasters a look of despair on her face.

"N-No! It… I-It's gone!" She slowly hangs her head.

"I-I... must've… lost it in the cyclone..." Aigis looks like she's about to cry. But then, she remembers something.

"Wait a minute…" She recalls when Kazuma struck her with the guitar and remembers seeing him run off with it. She balls her hands into fists, grunts, and glares into the corridor, using her jet pack to sprint through it at lightning speed.

" **I have to get it back!** "

**xxx**

Meanwhile, Kazuma and Nanashi have made really quick work of the Shadows. Their remains surge into Kazuma as he returns the guitar to its normal form and takes a second to crack his neck.

"Hmph… Not bad, for your first time." Kazuma turns to Nanashi.

"Wait… you can talk?" Kazuma asks. Nanashi turns to his master.

"Is there any reason why I shouldn't?" Nanashi asks.

"W-Well, no. I don't think so." Kazuma takes a good look at Nanashi.

"So, you're… a Persona," he says. "Nanashi... my Persona." Nanashi crosses his arms.

"Well, yeah..." he says. "That's my name, apparently... Ironic, huh? It means "No Name." So… you know about us?" Kazuma is surprised.

"There are  **more**  of you?"

"Well, not really. There are a lot Personas out there in the world. In fact, everyone has one. But… there are people out there who don't have the potential to awaken theirs. Most of the Personas out there are common, but there are a few really strong ones in the mix." Nanashi points to himself.

"And you're looking at one of those strong ones... I guess..."

"Hm…"

"Now, answer my question. The one I asked you before: How do you know what I am?" Kazuma takes a moment to think, then realizes what's amiss here.

"Wait…  **yeah!** Good question! How the hell did I even know what you are?!" Kazuma asks, scratching his head. "It kinda just… came to me!" Nanashi sighs.

"Alright then… I was only curious…" Nanashi looks at the guitar Kazuma is holding.

"Second question: Of all the weapons you could've chosen, you chose... a guitar?" Kazuma puts out the guitar, completely forgetting about the previous topic.

"Hey, I didn't exactly **choose** it, alright?!" he objects. "It was all I had! Plus, it's undeniable fact that getting hit over the head with a guitar hurts! And it definitely gets the job done when I morph it!"

"I'm not judging. It's fine…" Nanashi thinks.

"Actually... it's perfect for you. It could help you out when channeling that strange power of yours." Kazuma looks to Nanashi.

"What do you mean "strange power"?" Kazuma asks. "Are you saying the power I use to morph this guitar… **isn't** yours?" Nanashi turns to the corridor ahead.

"We'll talk later. Shouldn't we save that girl?" Kazuma turns to the corridor.

"Oh, right! Yukari! She's up ahead somewhere!" Nanashi glares into the darkness.

"And from what I can sense, she's heading towards trouble. The big kind."

"All right. Let's go!" Kazuma and Nanashi dash through the corridor.

**xxx**

On the way while fighting more Shadows, Nanashi decides to give Kazuma a brief rundown of his new power.

" _Alright, now listen good, cuz you have to learn this stuff with not a lot of time to do it._ "

They approach a group Hand Shadows and charge in, slashing away at them.

" _I don't know a lot about this, but everything I_ _ **do**_ _know will be useful._ "

Kazuma turns around and aims at a far away Hand.

_" **Zio!** "_ he shouts. He waves the guitar blade, shooting a small ball of lightning that hits and destroy it.

_"For starters, you and I can both use physical and magic skills. You can thank that power of yours flowing through that guitar for that. Magic skills, like Zio, lightning magic, costs some of your spirit energy to use."_

Nanashi is swatting back the Hands that pounce towards him. He spins his blade, then gets into ready position.

_" **Cleave!** "_ Nanashi dashes through the Hands in front of him, slicing them in half as he does.

_"Physical skills, like Cleave, a slash skill, costs some of your life essence to use. Once you get more used to using both types of skills, you could even fuse some of them together to make stronger ones._ " Nanashi disappears and reappears next to Kazuma.

"You alright?" he asks him. Kazuma smiles at him.

"Yeah. Barely even felt that," he responds.

_"The thing is we share water from the same river. Any skills I use will be paid from **your**  bank. I don't wanna accidentally tire you out, or worse, so don't hesitate to tell me if I start going overboard. After all, my consciousness is yours, so I'll black out if you do."_

Kazuma notices a giant Hand about to drop down on Nanashi from the air.

"Heads up!" Kazuma pulls Nanashi back and blocks the attack.

_"One last thing. I may not be able to die on my own, but if I take too much damage, I'll have to blackout and go back into your head to rest. So, you watch my back…"_

Nanashi dashes under Kazuma and stabs the Hand to kill it.

_"And I'll watch yours, got it?"_

The remains of the all defeated Shadows surge into Kazuma. Kazuma notices a tarot card float up from the ground and hover in front of him.

"A card?" he says.

"A Persona," Nanashi corrects. "That one's called **Pixie** , a Lovers Breed. Personas are born from one of the 22 Arcana. Personas with different Arcana have different attributes. You'll learn these as you grow in power." Kazuma grabs the card and feels a surge of energy flow into him.

"That makes two in your personal arsenal, but one in our shared one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nanashi looks to Kazuma.

"I don't really get it, but it looks like your power lets you wield and summon multiple Personas. It even lets **me** summon one from the arsenal you create." Kazuma is shocked.

"Hold up! So, I can call on and use more than one Persona and you can use one of your own kind?! That's… wow!" Nanashi nods his head.

"Yeah, I get this all must be pretty overwhelming for you, having only just awakened this power. Don't worry, though. You've been holding up pretty good so far." Kazuma scratches his head.

"Yeah, I guess."

"This one's pretty simple, actually. The Personas you pick up can use skills too, but unlike me, they can't stick around and fight themselves. As usual, the skills they use are paid from your bank. That's all." Kazuma starts to feel confidence in his ability to control his new power as he and his Persona press on.

**xxx**

Later, Kazuma and Nanashi rush through the corridors and arrive at an open space. Kazuma sees Yukari fighting three large Gigas Shadows.

"Yukari!" She jumps back and sees Kazuma.

"Kazuma!" Yukari yells. "Stay back! I got this!" Yukari gets hit by one of the Gigas' punches and knocked back into a wall. The other two come charging at her, but Kazuma and Nanashi slide in to blast them back with a dual Garu shockwave. Yukari's eyes widen, surprised by the power he didn't have before, as Kazuma smirks at her.

"You don't need to worry about me."

"Can you still fight?" Nanashi asks Yukari. Yukari nods.

"Huh? Y-Yeah!" Yukari gets herself ready as the giants roar.

"Here they come!"

**xxx**

Meanwhile in another corridor, Labrys is dashing through the halls, propelled by her jetpack. She growls as images of her friends being thrown around by the cyclone rush through her mind. She's the only one who didn't lose consciousness before being sucked into the tower.

"Everyone," she says to herself. "Please be alright." She picks up the pace.

**xxx**

Meanwhile, the Gigas Shadows have been wiped out and the remains, once again, surge into Kazuma. Kazuma demorphs the guitar and turns to Yukari.

"You alright?" Kazuma asks her.

"Yeah. I'm a little rusty, but I'll be fine." Yukari smiles in awe of Kazuma and Nanashi.

"More importantly… you guys… whoa! Your powers are incredible!" she says excitedly. "Those three Shadows were high class, but you held them off with no problem at all! I never thought I'd meet two Wild Card Persona users at the same time, let alone see two Persona users who are that strong and can work together like you two!" Kazuma and Nanashi look confused.

_"Uh… **Wild... Card?** " _Kazuma asks.

"Is that what this power's called?" Nanashi asks.

"Well, yeah. It's the ability to use more than one Persona. I've seen people with that power before." Kazuma and Nanashi enter deep thought.

"Hm…"

"If that's the case," Nanashi says. "I don't really have that Wild Card thing that you're talking about."

"Wait, what? But you summoned a Persona." Kazuma thumbs towards Nanashi.

"Well, ya see, Nanashi's actually one of my Personas. My main Persona, really." Yukari is shocked.

" **No way!**  A-A-Are you serious?!  **Y-Y-You're**  a Persona?!" Nanashi is confused.

"Is it really that surprising?"

"Is it surpris-?!  **Of course**  it is! Personas can't stay out for this long, let alone think, talk, and do things like normal people! And they  **definitely**  can't summon other Personas!" Kazuma turns to Nanashi in surprise.

"Care to tell me why you didn't mention all this crap before?!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know if you didn't? And I just woke up, remember?" Kazuma crosses his arms, thinking about how his other Personas can't stink around like Nanashi can.

"So, it's  **not**  because they're reserved.  **You're**  just not normal."

"Hmph. Well, according to your girlfriend,  **you're**  not normal either." Kazuma blushes.

"Hold the hell up! She is  **not**  my girlfriend!" Yukari groans and rubs her temples.

"Ugh, this is starting to break my brain!" She sighs and shakes her head.

"Anyway, have you seen the others?" Kazuma turns to Yukari.

"Oh. Uh, no. You're the first one we found," he says. Yukari recalls how she couldn't hold onto Nanako in the cyclone.

"Nanako-chan…" Nanashi turns to Kazuma.

"Hey, you were able to sense where Yukari was before, right?" he asks.

"That kinda strained my eyes a bit, but yeah."

"I dunno if this'll work, but… how about try touching a wall and doing it? Maybe you can use your energy to get a feel of this place and get a better layout that way. It **was** born from your power, after all." Kazuma puts the guitar down, rubs his hands, and approaches a nearby wall.

"Okay. I'll give it a shot." He puts both hands on the wall, closes his eyes, and concentrates. After a bit of time, he sees an image of the tower.

"Yeah. This is definitely easier," he says. "Um... It looks like we're inside some kind of tower." Yukari whispers.

"Dammit. Another one?!" Kazuma sees four different colored figures.

"Silver, green, brown, and bright orange higher up… I think that's Yu, Yosuke, Chie, and Rise. They're together." He sees one gray figure surrounded by white ones.

"One gray and a lot of white ones a bit under us… Akihiko and those troops." He sees a lone yellow figure.

"Yellow one just as low… Aigis?" He sees a light blue one.

"A light blue higher up… I don't know that one."

"Light blue?" Yukari asks. "That's probably Labrys."

"Lettuce?" Nanashi asks.

"Very funny."

"What was?" Kazuma sees a red one and a white one.

"Hm… I think I see Nanako… and she's with… Junpei." Yukari sighs in relief.

"Whew. Well, at least she's with someone, even if it's Junpei."

"What's so bad about  **him**?" Nanashi asks.

"Do you want the chronological list or the alphabetical one?" Kazuma moves away from the wall and grabs the guitar.

"We should hurry. They're heading towards a big Shadow reading."

"Alright, let's go!" Yukari, Kazuma, and Nanashi rush through the corridor.

* * *

**Place: Outside the Junes Tower**

* * *

The area is swarming with police and Kirijo military trying to keep the populis out of the danger zone they've set up around the tower.

" _Let me in, dammit! My girlfriend's trapped in there! Have you found her yet?!_ "

" _Please help him! Save him! My son's all alone in there!_ "

"Everyone, please remain calm," sounds a megahorn. Inside the danger zone, Mitsuru is scanning the tower for any way inside, but there doesn't seem to be any openings.

"No point of entry anywhere," she grunts to herself. Mitsuru uses her comm link.

"Akihiko? Akihiko, come in." No response.

"Labrys, do you copy? Labrys." No response. Mitsuru grunts again and turns to the two men walking towards her.

"Any progress?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the first one says. "We haven't been able to locate any way to get inside."

"Our support Persona users haven't gained contact with anyone inside either," says the second one. "Whatever that energy that morphed this place was, it's jamming the signals." Mitsuru enters deep thought.

"Excuse me, Senpai?" says an unknown voice. "Perhaps I could be of assistance."

Mitsuru turns around and is surprised by who she sees.

**xxx**

Meanwhile inside the tower, Kazuma, Nanashi, and Yukari are rushing through the corridor when Kazuma's vision goes haywire and he starts getting a headache. He stops, shut his eyes, and puts his left hand over his right eye, stumbling into a wall as he does. Yukari and Nanashi notice.

" _Hrgh! Ugh… Ngh…_ "

"Kazuma?!" Yukari rushes over to try and help, not noticing that Nanashi was starting to get dizzy, but the dark blue aura from before appears to block her. Karito uncovers his eye and opens it slightly. The pupil is red with a bright green iris and everything around it is black. The pain becomes stronger and he covers his eye again.

" _Grah! Nyah! Agh!_ "

"Hey! Kazuma! Hang in there!" The pain instantly vanishes, the aura disappears, and Kazuma's eyes return to normal. He takes a moment to catch his breath and ease his attained nausea.

"That was crazy!" Yukari says. "A-Are you alright?!" Kazuma continues to try and catch his breath.

"It's… It's okay… I'm better now." Yukari recalls something.

"W-Wait a sec… Nanashi, didn't you say something about just waking up?" Nanashi doesn't answer.

"Nanashi?!" Nanashi finishes catching his breath and looks to Yukari.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Why?"

"A Persona "waking up" means the awakening of a Persona users powers." Yukari looks at Kazuma.

"You just awakened yours, didn't you? And I'm guessing you haven't had any time to rest. You must be exhausted." Yukari looks confused.

"Usually, you just pass out from fatigue, but… I've never seen any other symptoms, let alone symptoms like these. Do you need anything?" Kazuma's cheeks puff up and fill with vomit, then he forces it back down.

"Urp!  _ **Ugh!**_ Y-Yeah. Get back before I upchuck on your pretty pink suit." Yukari steps back.

"Okay. Ew," she says. "Anyway, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to keep going like this. Why don't we-" A little girl's scream echoes through the area. Yukari's eyes, recalling that little girl voice.

"That… that sounds like Nanako-chan!"

Further down, Nanako and Junpei are cornered by a flock of masked crow Shadows.

"Don't you worry, Nanako-chan!" Junpei says. "Uncle Junpei's got this!" Junpei has bat out, ready to swing with a cocky grin.

"Alright, fly straight at me, if you dare! I'll send you right out the park!" The sound of a electric guitar playing echoes through the air.

"What the-?! Who the hell's playing a guitar in here?!"

" _ **Now, Nanashi!**_ " The shadow of Nanashi appears behind the Shadows.

_" **Mazio Cleaver!** "_ Nanashi's blade conducts lighting and he uses it to cleave the all the Shadows in two. Kazuma and Yukari come running, Kazuma's breathing starting to shallow as he holds himself up with his guitar.

"Hey, don't push yourself!" Yukari yells to Kazuma.

"Nah. I'm fine," he says. "Hey, are you guys alright?"

"B-B-Big sis!" Nanako rushes over to Yukari, ready to cry. Yukari kneels down to give her a hug and rubs her back as she sobs on her shoulder.

" _Sh, sh, sh, shhhhh._  It's okay. I got you," she says with smile. "Everything's gonna be fine." Yukari looks to Nanashi.

"Well, it looks like we got them out of trouble." The remains of the Shadow surge into Kazuma. Yukari looks to Karito, whose eyes switch from side to side.

"What's up?"

"That group of monsters birds was  **not**  the reading I was picking up."

"Huh?" Nanashi senses something and closes his eyes to concentrate. He hears a loud buzzing noise getting louder, then predicts where the source is and what direction its heading. He zooms over to Yukari and Nanako, grabs them, and jumps them out of the way of a large shadowy figure that was charging toward them.

"Eek!" Junpei is on its course.

"W-Waaah!" He dives out of its way and it crashes into a wall. Nanashi lands between Kazuma and Junpei, with Yukari and Nanako safely in tow.

"W-What was that?!" Nanashi glares into the smoke.

"A big bad bug." The smoke clears to reveal a giant beetle Shadow with its horn stuck in the wall.

"Uhhh… I-I hate bugs!" Nanako yells.

"Nanako-chan, get back!" Yukari yells.

Nanako runs to a safe distance before the beetle frees itself, turns to the party, and lets out a screech.

**xxx**

Far off from the tower, a mysterious figure in blue's eye catches sight of the grotesque structure. It smiles as it cheerfully hops from rooftop to rooftop towards it.

**xxx**

Back at Kazuma's corridor, Junpei slides in front of the Beetle Shadow and swats it into the air, Yukari aims and fires her arrow at it to stun it, and Kazuma and Nanashi wall jump into the air to finish it off with a co-op cross slash attack. Nanako runs towards Yukari, jumping for joy.

"Yay! Feather Pink is number one!" Yukari looks to Nanako, smiles, and strikes her pose.

_"Life is beautiful, even when it fades."_ Nanako applauds her and Junpei scratches his head.

"Damn… that show's  **seriously**  taken your soul and turned it into something ugly," Junpei groans.

" **FEATHER DROP KICK!** " Yukari drop kicks Junpei halfway across the room.

"Like  **you**  know anything about it, Stupei!" The remains of the Beetle surge into Kazuma and he immediately starts getting dizzy.

_"Ugh… wuh?"_ He collapses to the ground, which Nanashi notices.

"Huh?" Everyone else notices Kazuma lying on the ground and Nanashi disappear.

"Ah, hey!" Everyone rushes to Kazuma and Junpei looks around for Nanashi.

"Hey! Hey guy, where'd you go?!"

"He's fine," Yukari says. "Junpei, help me get him over to that corner." Yukari and Junpei drag the unconscious Kazuma to the corner of the empty space. They take off his jacket, set him on his side, and put the jacket over him as a blanket.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Nanako asks.

"Yeah, he's just really tired," Yukari answers. "Oh…" Yukari notices Nanako yawning. She must be getting sleepy.

"Let's take a quick break here."

**xxx**

Moments pass. Nanako is sleeping on Yukari's lap, with Junpei next to her. Junpei looks to the sleeping boy.

"Guy's out like a light, huh?" Junpei asks.

"Yeah. That's not surprising, though," Yukari says. "That's what happens when a Persona user awakens to their power. They get really exhausted."

"Ya know, I kinda knew he was a Persona user with the Wild Card." Yukari rolls her eyes.

_"Oh really?"_

"Hey, I'm being serious here-!" Yukari shushes Junpei, then points at Nanako. Junpei starts whispering.

"Oh. Sorry. Anyway, I thought that was the case when he performed on stage with Rise. Think about it. Have you ever heard of someone rocking out so hard it  **literally**  blew people away?" Yukari thinks.

"Hm… you actually have a point there. But, something's off about his power. It's bothering me."

"Off? Off how? Spit it out, Reiko." Yukari grunts at the sound of her show name before continuing.

"I was being cornered by Gigas Shadows when he came to help me. He was able to defeat them without breaking a sweat, even though he had only just awakened to his Persona."

"For real? Whoa…"

"Then, before we came to help you guys, he started getting a headache and that dark blue aura that created that cyclone came out of him. I've never seen anyone with symptoms like that before."

"Hm…"

"Then, there's those other abilities he has. Morphing his guitar, amping up his Personas' powers by playing it. He even has powerful support abilities."

"So, he can provide support like Fuuka-chan and Rise-chan  **and** be strong enough to fight Gigas Shadows, and he's only a rookie?! This kid's insane!" Yukari nods.

"That's not all, though. There's Nanashi too."

"That guy with the hood robe from before? He's a Wild Card Persona user too, right? What about him?"

"He's not really human. Get this: He's actually one of  **his**  Personas. His main one, apparently." Junpei is shocked.

"You serious?! But he seemed like a normal guy! And I thought Personas weren't supposed to stick around that long, or even call out one of their own!"

"Yeah, but somehow he has a mind of his own, he has the abilities of a Wild Card Persona user, and he can stick around as long as he wants." Yukari looks to Kazuma.

"Well, at least as long as he's conscious." Junpei stares at Kazuma.

"Who  **is**  this guy?" Kazuma suddenly jolts awake to their surprise.

"Ah! Crap!" Junpei shouts.

"Geez, don't scare us like that!" Kazuma looks around, then looks at Yukari and Junpei.

"You two hear a ringing?"

"Uh… what?" Junpei asks.

"A ringing sound. Do you two hear a ringing?"

"Um… no?" Yukari says. Kazuma uses his finger to dig into his ear.

"It feels like my head's ringing."

"Probably cuz you're still tired," Yukari assumes. "Go back to sleep."

"No, that's not-" Suddenly, Kazuma hears a voice in his head.

" _He.. om.. any.. ere.. ello...?_ "

"I… I hear someone."

"Whaddya mean "you hear someone"?" Junpei asks.

"Um… Hang on. Let me try something." Kazuma closes his eyes to concentrate on the voice in his head.

* * *

 

**Place: Outside the Junes Tower**

* * *

In a nearby debriefing tent, a woman with braided teal hair is sitting in a chair with her eyes closed. Mitsuru is standing next to her and two men in black suits are watching.

"Hey, any idea who that girl is?" the first one asks.

"I've seen her profile. Fuuka Yamagishi," answers the second one. "The support Persona user for Madam Kirijo's S.E.E.S operatives. Her support skills are supposedly second to none." The girl named Fuuka still has her eyes closed. Kazuma's voice reaches her.

_"Hello?"_

"Hm?"

_"Is anyone there? I-I think I heard you. Can you hear me? Hello?"_

Fuuka opens her eyes in surprise.

"There! I've reached someone!" she shouts.

"Is it Akihiko or the others?" Mitsuru asks.

"No. I don't recognize this person's voice." Mitsuru thinks.

"I see. Only people with a Persona can hear incoming transmissions from support Persona users, which means we've made contact with a Persona user who is not with us."

"Should I ask for identification?"

"Yes. Please do." Fuuka nods and closes her eyes again.

"Are you still there? I heard you. May I ask who I am talking to?"

" _Um… Kazuma Tenshi._ "

"Okay. Kazuma-kun, my name is Fuuka Yamagishi. I am working with the Kirijo special forces to help anyone trapped inside the tower. Is there anyone near you?"

" _Three people: A little girl named Nanako, a woman, Yukari Takeba, and a man, Junpei Iori._ " Fuuka is shocked.

"What's wrong?" Mitsuru asks.

"He's with Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun!"

"Perfect. We can contact those two, at least."

_"Kazuma-kun? Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun are friends of mine. Let them know I'm trying to contact them, okay?"_

**xxx**

Meanwhile, in another part of the tower, Yu, Yosuke, Chie, and Rise wake up together in another corridor.

"Ugh, my head…" Chie groans.

"Ngh... You guys alright?" Yu asks.

"Y-Yeah. Nothing's broken this time," Yosuke says.

"My eyes are spinning. Other than that, I'm okay," Rise says. They stand up and look around.

"Can someone tell me where are?" Chie asks.

"Hell if I know. I blacked out as soon as I got tossed up in the air by that twister," Yosuke says. Yu recalls his last moments before losing consciousness.

"That energy that came out of Kazuma-san…" he says. "I… I think… I saw it morph Junes. I felt myself being sucked towards it before I passed out." Chie and Rise are surprised.

"A-Are you saying we're inside Junes?!" Rise asks. Yosuke groans loudly.

" _Great! Juuust great!_  First, the TV portal to a freaky other world in the electronics section, and now  **this**?! I swear, the Juneses my dad manages are prone to all kinds of crazy crap!" Yu steps forward.

"We need to hurry! Nanako got sucked in here too!" The others are shocked.

"No way! A-Are you serious?!" Chie asks in a panic.

"One of the last things I saw was Nanako getting taken away by the current!"

"Well, maybe Master or the others found here!"

"That doesn't change the fact that we still need to hurry!" Yosuke yells.

"Right! There's no way we're letting her stay in a place like this for long!" Rise yells. "Never again!" Yu pulls a sheathed katana out from his jacket while Yosuke takes two kunai knives out of his pockets.

"Yeah, let's go!" Yu says. Chie and Rise are shocked that their friends have been carrying around weapons.

"Whoa! Since when did you guys start carrying  **those**  around again?!" Chie asks.

"Since the Black Hours started up," Yosuke says. "Nothing such as being too careful." Yu shows everyone the left side of the inside of his jacket. There's a small pocket stitched on it, concealing an Evoker.

"Mitsuru-san sent you guys one of these, right?" he asks everyone. Yosuke and Chie flash their Evokers and Rise pulls out a piece headgear.

"I've got mine," Yosuke says. "It definitely feels more intense than how we usually do it."

"Ha ha ha… Never thought I'd actually be putting a gun to my head," Chie laughs nervously.

"Mitsuru-san custom made mine as headgear," Rise says. "She said it would be a bad idea if people saw an idol carrying a gun around. Not good for the image." Yu nods.

"Alright then. Rise, how about you start us off?" he asks. "Figure out how much you can do in this place." Rise nods, puts on her Evoker, folds her hands, and closes her eyes.

" _ **Come, Himiko!**_ " A female Persona with a satellite for a head appears and puts her hands on both sides of Rise's head. Rise concentrates on scanning the area.

"Hm… I'm not getting any interference," she says. "That's one less thing to worry about." Rise senses something.

"Hang on, what's…?"

"You got something?" Yosuke asks.

"Yeah. A transmission. Someone from the outside is contacting someone in here. Hang on, lemme see if I can patch myself in."

**xxx**

Meanwhile, back at Kazuma's group's location…

"Yukari, Junpei, heads up," Kazuma says. "Someone named Fuuka's trying to reach you." Yukari and Junpei are shocked.

"W-Wait, Fuuka's nearby?!" Yukari asks. Yukari and Junpei receive Fuuka's transmission.

" _Yukari-chan? Junpei-kun? Can you hear me?_ "

"Fuuka! Oh, I am  **loving**  the sound of your voice!" Junpei says.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Yukari says. "Where are you?!"

" _Outside the tower with Mitsuru-senpai. Hang on, I'm patching her in._ "

As the group waits, another ringing sound goes off in Kazuma's head.

"Huh?"

"What's up?" Yukari asks.

"T-There's someone else trying to patch through. Hang on." Kazuma focuses on the ringing.

"Hello? Who's this?"

" _Huh?! No way! Kazuma-san?!_ "

Kazuma, Yukari, and Junpei are surprised by the sound of Rise's voice.

"R-Rise-chan! Is that you?" Yukari asks.

"Hey, Rise-chan!" Junpei says. Rise sighs.

" _Well, it's good to know you guys are alright,"_ she says. " _Hey, have you guys seen Nanako-chan?!_ " Junpei chuckles.

"Yeah," he replies. "She's fast asleep and all snuggled in with her big sister, Yuka-tan!"

" _She's with you?! Is there anything wrong with her?! Is she hurt?! Does she look like she's sick or in pain?! Anything?!_ " Yukari giggles, look down at Nanako, and pulls her in close.

"Calm down. She's perfectly fine," she says with a smile. "I got her right her." Rise breathes a huge sigh of relief.

" _Oh, thank God!_ "

"Hey, stay on the line. Fuuka and Mitsuru-senpai are trying to contact us."

"Oh, okay." The group waits. Mitsuru's voice reaches them.

" _Yukari? Iori? It's Mitsuru._ "

"Mitsuru-senpai!"

"Hey, senpai! What's going on out there?" Junpei asks.

" _I'm here with the Kirijo special forces trying to find a way inside the tower, so the we can start the evacuation,"_  Mitsuru says. " _However, there doesn't seem to be any openings._ "

"No exit or anything?"

" _That's only the current situation. We will continue to look until we find one. For now, do you have any idea where you are?_ " Yukari looks to Kazuma.

"Uh… that's good question," Yukari says. "Kazuma, where are we?"

"About... three quarters a ways up the tower, I think," Kazuma says.

" _Pardon me. Am I speaking with the one accompanying Yukari and Iori?_ "

"Speaking."

" _I would start by saying good evening, but now would be an inappropriate time. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo._ "

"Kirijo?"

" _As the name implies, I am the CEO of the Kirijo Group. I am leading the special forces in resolving the current situation. I would like to request your assistance in this operation._ "

"Okay. Tell me what you need."

" _Thank you. To begin, I would like to know how is it you are able to pinpoint your exact location._ "

"Um, well, I put both my hands on the wall and I get a complete layout of the tower. I can also tell where some people are."

" _I have some names of interest I would like to run by you. Akihiko Sanada, Aigis, and Labrys. There's also Yu Narukami, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, and Rise Kujikawa._ "

" _Um, Mitsuru-san?_ " Rise interrupts. " _I'm actually on the line right now. I'm with Yu, Yosuke, and Chie right now._ "

"Yeah, and I sensed the others in the tower. They were fine the last time I checked. Do you want me to check again?"

" _Yes. Please do. And check to see if you can find any opening in the tower._ "

Kazuma stands up, but stumbles a bit.

"Whoa. Be careful," Yukari says. Kazuma nods and puts both hand on the wall to scan the tower. All of the beacons he sensed before a a bit higher up the tower. He doesn't see any holes in the structure, however.

"Everyone's still fine...but I don't see any openings-" Kazuma notices something.

"Hold up. There is one thing: All of the paths that everyone is taking seem to lead to a large domed room at the top."

" _So, I guess we just keep going up_ ," Rise says. Kazuma see a plethora of white beacons and two black beacons among them.

"There are a lot of people at the top, but it looks like those guys in the cloaks are there too." Mitsuru grunts.

" _So they've taken hostages… If they're trying to pull off what I think they are…_ " Mitsuru goes silent for a moment.

" _Very well. Yukari, Iori, I want you two to pursue the hostiles. Kujikawa, you and your team are to assist them. Reach the top of the tower as soon as you can._ "

"Gotcha!" Yukari says.

"Roger!" Junpei says.

" _Okay, I'll tell the others,"_ Rise says. She cuts off her transmission.

" _Pardon me, Tenshi_ ," Mitsuru says to Kazuma. " _Do you know of the creatures that may be lurking inside the tower? Can you defend yourself?_ "

"Yes to both," Kazuma says.

" _I would like you to assist Yukari and Iori in pursuing the targets. It's a hunch, but their capture may allow everyone to escape. I know it's a dangerous request, but our enemy's strength is unknown. We need all the help we can get._ " Kazuma nods.

"Y-Yes, ma'am! I'll do what I can to help!"

" _Yamagishi will stay in contact and provide you with support from now on. I leave the rest to you. Good luck._ " Junpei realizes something.

"Oh, hey, wait! Can I lead-?!"

" **No** ," Yukari and Mitsuru say bluntly in unision. Junpei hangs his head.

"Dammit." The transmission ends. Nanako starts to wake up. Yukari notices.

"Oh! Sorry, Nanako-chan. We woke you up."

"Mm… what's going on?" Nanako asks.

"Listen, we have to go now, okay? Don't worry. Nothing's gonna happen to you. Just stay close to me, alright?" Nanako rubs her eyes and nods.

"O-Okay." Everyone stands up, Yukari holding Nanako's hand. Kazuma starts getting dizzy again.

"Ugh…"

"Crap, you're still not rested yet," Yukari says.

"Oh, hang on! Got just the thing!" Junpei digs into his backpack and pulls out a large red and blue can of Mad Bull.

"Nothing picks a guy up more than Mad Bull!" he shouts with a confident smile. Yukari glares at Junpei, annoyed.

"Only  **you**  would think crap like that would actually help!" Junpei glares back at her.

"You got any better ideas?! We're kinda in hurry!"

"No time to ask questions!" Kazuma shouts as he snatches the Mad Bull from Junpei, opens the can, and raises it into the air. " _Mad Bull gives you_ _ **wins!**_ " He starts chugging it down. Yukari look on with worry.

" _Uh…_ "

" _ **Woohoo!**_  Look at him go!" Junpei laughs. Kazuma finishes drinking and immediately feels a rush of adrenaline course through his body, feeling wide awake.

"So? Did it work?" Junpei asks. Kazuma excitedly fist pumps.

"Phew! YeahI'mfinenow! Lesgo!" Kazuma realizes something.

"Oh! Almostforgot! Havetolethimout!" Kazuma takes out the Evoker and puts it to his head. Yukari is confused by the Evoker's design.

"Huh? When did-"

" _ **Nanashi!**_ " Kazuma summons Nanashi, who oddly enough seems to have a headache.

" _Ugh, dammit..._  Why does my head feel like it's in a vice grip?" Nanashi asks. Nanashi notices the energetic look in Kazuma eyes.

"And why the hell do you look so hyper?"

"Explaintimetoisnonethere! C'monlet'sgo!" Kazuma picks up the guitar and rushes off, leaving Nanashi confused, Junpei surprised, and Yukari groaning and facepalming.

"I can already tell this is gonna be bad."

* * *

**Place: Near the top of the Junes Tower**

* * *

Kazuma and the others arrive at a floor that is only a small open space with a staircase in the back of the room. Yukari hears wind blowing from the staircase.

"There's a draft coming from there," she says. "I think we're just below the room at the top." Kazuma nods.

"We are," he says. "I'm sensing a lot of energy right above us."

"Most of it feels pure," Nanashi says. "The dark energy must be the ones in cloaks." The group receives a transmission.

" _Hey, guys. Can you hear me?_ " It's Rise.

"Loud n clear, Rise-chan," Junpei says.

" _I think we're about to reach the top_ ," Rise says. " _There's a staircase with a draft in front of us._ "

"We're just about there too," Yukari says. Junpei fist pumps.

"Alright! So, how're we gonna do this?"

" _We need to focus on getting the hostages away from the people in cloaks before pursuing them,"_ says Fuuka, who has remained in contact with Kazuma's group this whole time.

" _Where are they suppose to go, though?_ " Rise asks." _There's no way out of here, right?_ " Yukari turns to Kazuma.

"Hey, Karito, you said that all the corridors lead to the top, right?" she asks. Kazuma nods.

"Do you remember which one Akihiko-senpai is taking?"

"Yeah," Kazuma answers. "I could point to which one it is when we get to the top."

" _One group should focus on escorting everyone safely out of the area while the other group holds off the enemy,"_  Fuuka suggests.

"Our group could hand Nanako-chan over to Yu-kun and deal with them. Right, Yuka-tan?"

"Wow, Junpei! You actually went through one of those very rare times when you actually have a good idea!" Yukari laughs. Junpei hangs his head.

" _Ha ha ha, I can't breathe,_ " he groans.

"But, yeah, we'll hold off the cloaks," Yukari says. "You guys lead the hostages into Akihiko-senpai's corridor."

" _Okay. Just give us a call when you're ready._ " Rise's transmission ends.

" _I have a feeling there's more to these people than our senpai know,"_  Fuuka says. " _Please be ready for anything._ "

Kazuma nods. As everyone walks to an individual corner of the room to get ready, Kazuma feels a slight burning sensation on the right side of his face. It quickly fades.

"Huh? What was...?" Kazuma thinks to himself. He shrugs.

"Probably nothing."

He focuses on preparing for the operation… not noticing the the fading black mark on the right side of his face.

* * *

**Chapter: End**


	9. Ballad in the Darkness

**Place: Top of the Junes Tower**

* * *

In the large dome room at the top of the tower, a large mass of people are gathered in a condensed group, people covering their heads, couples comforting each other, and families huddling in close while the two cloaked figures circle around the group like sharks, the second one wielding a shotgun.

" _He's so frickin' **late**!_ " the second one groans. "Why don't one of us just go find him and drag his ass back with us?!"

"You saw what happened with your own eyes when you made him piss his pants!" the first one barks. "He released a shit ton of power, enough to turn that lousy supermarket into this tower labyrinth! We need to stay together in order to bring him in. Not to mention deal with those Kirijo asshats." The second one points the shotgun at the crowd, to their discontent.

"Then, why don't we just start harvesting these people and be done with it?!"

"Y'know we need as many powerhouse minds we can grab! We harvest the Persona guys first,  **then**  we take all these back home."

" _Ugh, alright…_  Still wish he'd get here faster!"

In the corner of the room, Yukari peeks her head out of the opening where the staircase ends. She turns back to Kazuma.

"Hey, are the others in position?" Yukari asks. Kazuma closes his eyes and senses Yu and his group on the other side of the room.

"Yeah. They're ready to go," he says.

"Alright. Give them the signal." Yukari looks to Nanako.

"Nanako-chan, when you see your brother, I want you to run straight to him, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay," Nanako says. The room is quiet. Suddenly, multiple explosions are set off on the roof, distracting the cloaks and covering the area.

"What the-?!" Yosuke and Chie's voices echo through the room.

" _ **Jiraiya!**_ "

" _ **Tomoe!**_ "

From the smoke, Yosuke and Chie plummet down on the second cloak with their Personas at their side. The cloak jumps back to avoid Jiraiya's shurikens, then blocks Tomoe's lance attack from behind with a sickle in their left hand. They notice Yosuke and Chie rushing towards them on their right side.

"Tch! Surprise attack, huh?" says the first cloak. The sound of an electric guitar and Yukari's voice fills the room.

" _ **Roar! Winds of Isis!**_ " The lead cloak looks under them, then jumps out of the way of the small hurricane that was forming.

" _ **Go now, Nanashi!**_ " Nanashi rushes out and follows the cloak into the air to attack. The cloak pulls out two sickles to block his sword attacks. Junpei comes rushing in, pulling out his Evoker.

" _ **Hit 'em hard, Trismegistus!**_ " Junpei summons his Persona and it swiftly flies around the cloak and Nanashi. The crowd of people are in a panic. They hear a loud whistle and turn to the doorway that Rise is next to.

"Everyone, this way! Hurry, run!" Without hesitation, the crowd stampede towards the doorway. The second cloak notices.

"Hey! The herd's getting away!"

"Keep your eyes on me!" The cloak dodges Chie's flying kick attack, then she follows up by unleashing a relentless barrage of kicking attacks.

" _ **Izanagi!**_ " A masked Persona with a leather jacket and serrated katana appears from above. The cloak jumps back to dodge its air slash attack. Nanako peeks out of the doorway and sees Yu on the other side of the room.

"Big Bro!" She runs towards him. The first cloak notices her and tries to go after her.

"No, you don't!" The first cloak turns and is surprised to see Kazuma rush toward them, with guitar blade in hand. They very dangerously dodge Kazuma's combo and jump away. Yu notices Nanako run to him and runs to her.

"Nanako!" He kneels down to hug her, then turns her to where Rise is.

"It's not safe here! Go with Rise and get somewhere safe!"

"Uh, o-okay!" Nanako runs to Rise.

"Rise, take care of Nanako!" Yu shouts. Rise nods and grabs Nanako's hand.

"Be careful, Senpai!" Rise runs off with Nanako into the corridor. The cloaks reunite.

"Hey, screw the cattle!" the first one says. "Our  **prize**  has just arrived!" Kazuma, Nanashi, Yukari, Junpei, Yu, Yosuke, and Chie gather together to face their enemy.

"Give it up! You have nowhere to go!" Yu shouts. The second cloak laughs.

" _Oh, don't worry, big boy!_ " they say. "We don't have to run now that you've brought what we came for here. Ain't that right, Sissy?!" The lead cloak smiles.

"Yeah…" The cloaks remove their hoods to reveal that their both girls: The second cloak had messy unkempt pink hair, a black lightning bolt tattoo on the right side of her face, and emerald eyes, while the lead cloak was the same, but with a lighting bolt tattoo on the left side of her face. They're twin sisters.

"We don't have any reason to run now that our query is here," the first twin says. Yukari notices the red chokers they both have. The lead's says "Maki" and the second's say "Kima".

"Maki… Kima…?"

"You got sharp eyes there, pinky!" says the one labels Kima. Kima twirls around.

" _That's right-y! You can call us Twin Makima, the Boundless Lover Sisters!_ " The one labeled Maki wacks Kima hard on her head.

"How fuckin' brainless are you?! Stop saying shit like that out loud!" she barks.

"Ow! Okay, I'm sorry!"

"Uh… the second one sure is a weirdo," Chie says. Maki groans.

"Anyway, we can round up some more cattle later." Maki points straight at Kazuma.

"Right now, let's just drag the golden brat back with us!"

"Huh?!  **Me?!** " Yukari steps in front of Kazuma.

"What do want with  **him?!** " Yukari asks. "He doesn't have anything to do with you!"

"Sorry, bitch pinky. Thing is he actually has  **everything**  to do with us!" Maki says. She begins to smile wickedly.

"But… it's not like you'll live long enough to know why…  **Kima!** " Kima raises her hand.

"You got it!  _Oh, honeys! Time to come to your mamas!_ " Kima snaps her fingers and Shadow slowly start flowing into the room.

"Ugh, dammit!" Junpei shouts. Yu and his group get behind the others.

"We'll hold off these guys!" Yosuke says. "You handle the twins!"

"Got it!" Yukari says. Kazuma, Nanashi, Yukari, and Junpei get ready to fight the murderous twins.

**xxx**

Meanwhile, Akihiko and his troops are marching up the stairs to the last level of the tower before they reach the roof. Suddenly, Akihiko sees a crowd of people coming down.

"Huh? What the-" The crowd of people rushes to his group with glee.

"U-Um… Men, see to the people… I guess." He sees Rise among the crowd. Rise sees him.

"Akihiko-san!" They runs towards each other.

"Rise, what's going on?"

"These are the people those guys in the cloaks took hostage. Senpai and the others are up there fighting them right now."

"What?!"

**xxx**

Meanwhile, Kazuma and Nanashi rush after Maki and Kima and launch a relentless co-op assault, leaving their enemy no room to attack. When the twins are staggered, Karito launches off Nanashi's shoulders into the air and Nanashi dashes forward. Nanashi zooms towards Kima.

" _ **Sonic Punch!**_ " Nanashi lands his attack and it knocks Kima back. Karito's guitar blade goes blunt and spiky glowing blue barrier made of magic-manifested sound covers the base as he comes down on Maki, preparing to attack.

" _ **Amp Buster!**_ " The heavy attack lets out a roaring electric guitar sound boom and sends Maki flying into Kima.

The twins take a moment to catch their breath as Kazuma and Nanashi glare at them.

"Are you two  **seriously**  the ones causing all the trouble lately?" Nanashi asks. "If you are, it's a total let down for you to be this weak." The twins look towards each other and snicker as they slowly get to their feet.

"Kiddo… we forgot to tell about you the one rule you really shouldn't break," Maki says. They float in the air and cloud shaped lock with five holes appear on each of their chests.

"The one rule that'll kill you if you ignore it," Kima says. Metal gauntlets appear on their hands: Left for Maki, right for Kima. They take their gauntlet fingers and stick them in the fives holes of their locks.

"Never!"

"Ever!" The twins glare with burning yellow eyes at the duo as they forcefully turn their locks.

" **Call us weak!** " Suddenly, the twins' tattoos start glowing yellow, an arc barrier of lightning surrounds them, and the mass of Shadows that Yu and his group were fighting are sucked by it. The Shadows turn into fog that flows into and surrounds the barrier. White silhouettes of the twins appear and a black hole opens up in each of their chests. They start jerking around inside the barrier as the fog surges into the holes to Yu and his group's shock.

"Hey! I-Is that… what I think it is?!" Chie gasps.

"No way!" Yosuke yells "They're-!"

" **Merging with the Shadows!** " Yu finishes.

The silhouettes slowly merge together into one that bears both tattoos. It hunches over, then lets out a powerful roar before lightning explodes all over the room, everyone shielding themselves from the bolts.

When the smoke clears, everyone is shocked to see the terrifying merged form they have taken: A woman in skimpy female gladiator armor with long silky pink hair and broken shackles on their wrists and ankles, wielding a metal lance and bearing both of the twins' tattoos. The choker on her neck reads "Makima".

"Well… didn't see  **that**  comin'!" Junpei says. Makima smiles deviously as her lance conducts electricity.

"Now… let's have some  _ **real**_  fun."

**xxx**

Meanwhile at the second to last level of the tower, Labrys feels the building quake.

"Whoa. W-W-Wha-?!" She kneels down to keep herself from staggering. The quakes come one after another, then finally stop. Labrys grunts.

"That don't sound good. Not at all."

**xxx**

Everyone tries their best to take down Makima, but nothing they do seem to be working. Everyone takes a second to catch their breath.

"What the hell?!" Yosuke yells. "Nothing we we're throwing at her working!"

"Ugh! My legs feel like they've been kicking a steel wall!" Chie groans as she rubs her knees. Makima laughs.

" _ **Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!**_  So, who're the weak ones **now** , huh?!" Makima raises her lance into the air and it turns into a bolt of lightning. She jumps into the air.

"Ugh! Here she comes!" Yukari yells.

" _ **Makima... BOLT!**_ " She throws it into the ground. When it hits, it sends out a devastating blast of lightning, hitting everyone with force of a chaotic storm.

When the lightning calms, Kazuma and Nanashi are the only ones left standing, but just barely, while everyone else is down, badly injured. Karito looks around at his fallen comrades.

"D-Dammit…" Junpei grunts. "Can't… move…"

"They're… too strong…" Yukari gasps.

"N-No…" Yu growls. "We… can't… give up…"

"Guys!" Kazuma glares back at Makima, who smiles deviously.

" _Hmph. What? You still wanna fight?_ " she asks. " _Aww, that's so cute..._  but it's kinda pointless. You don't stand a chance against us while we're like this.  _Now, be a good wittle boy and come with us._ " Makima prepares to attack, aiming at Yukari.

" _Or do you really wanna see your friends charred to a deep, deep crisp?_ "

A surge of rage rushes through Kazuma. People are in trouble, it's his fault for god knows whatever reason, and even with the new power he awakened tonight, he's powerless to stop these people. He trembles in rage and he starts hearing his heart beating.

"D-Damn… you…!" Nanashi notices Kazuma's dark blue aura wrap itself around him. Then, a black aura wraps up on top of it, creating a dark blue and black flame. A voice echoes through Karito's head.

" _...av… em…!_ " His heartbeat increases.

"Daaamn youuu…!" Nanashi feels as though he knows what to do. He floats behind Kazuma and closes his eyes.

" _...ou have… the…!_ " Nanashi starts glowing and his body turns into a circle shaped lock with five holes, just like the twins locks, and chains. The lock hovers in front of Kazuma and latches itself onto his chest, wrapping the chains around his body.

" **Damn you…!** " The black mark from before appears on Kazuma's face. It glows with a pulsing blue. His left hand is wrapped in black flames. He puts his hand to the lock, slowly putting his fingers in. The pinky, ring, and middle finger go in.

"I have to…" Index finger and thumb go in.

"I have to…!" He clutches the lock. The voice echoes one more time.

" _You have to-!_ " Kazuma glares at Makima with his burning yellow eyes.

" _ **PROTECT THEM!**_ " He forcefully turns the lock. The door in the middle slowly opens, allowing the aura to flood into it.

Kazuma feels an incredible surge of power pulse through his blood. It's so overwhelming that there is no telling how far beyond all of the pain he has ever felt in his life it goes. It burned like the magma from the sun and built to the point where it felt like his entire body would gruesomely explode. The unfathomably painful pulse grows stronger and faster as his heart starts to race. His skins starts to crawl and turn black, his hair spikes up, and he starts growing fangs. The chains from his lock glow red and his mark slow starts to fade of his face.

Kazuma hunches over, his eyes more bloodshot than humanly possible, then drops to his knees and wraps his arms around himself as he jerks around, crying out in agony and trying to control the overwhelming force within him, clawing at the ground so hard, his fingernails cracking and bleeding, leaving red trails on the concrete. The severe headache made it feel like his skull would burst upon. Glowing dark blue vein start spreading throughout his body and popping out, gradually increasing in radiance. Thick crimson streams of his blood start to leak out, violently oozing from his mouth, nose, eyes, and sustained wounds and bursting out little volcanoes on his body. Jet black flames slowly rising from it, all the while. The ground starts to quake with his body as he drives his fingers into the ground. Makima is shocked, knowing what's happening to him.

"What the- what the hell is this?! He…" Cracks quickly spread across the floor and the walls as his dark aura blackens the room. The boy's deep breathes echo in the room, raspy and heavy like wild beast.

"He can do it too?!" As Kazuma starts growling loudly and the mark fades completely, Nanashi's voice echoes in his head.

" _ **... SHADOW...**_ "

Ready to let all of his built up power free, Kazuma takes his deepest breath, slam his forehead to the ground and wraps himself in his arms, reabsorbing all of the aura back into him.

The room goes silent... until...

" _ **... BREAK.**_ "

In a sudden raging motion, Kazuma lifts his head to the sky, spreads his arms wide, and lets out a powerful, dreadful, blood curdling wail as he is engulfed in a black inferno. Makima shields her eyes and his allies scream as the dark aura explodes from throughout the room, tearing it apart and cloaking it in pitch darkness.

**xxx**

Meanwhile outside, the quake of Kazuma's power affects the surrounding area and his scream pierces through the sky. The populous, including the special forces, gets down on their knees and cover themselves, screaming in panic and ducking in cover, fearing that the demon from the deepest depths of Hell that was making such an unholy roar was coming to bring his wrath down upon them. Mitsuru manages to keep her balance while covering her ears.

"What... in the world... is that?!" Fuuka starts getting a severe headache and screams.

"Yamagishi?! What's wrong?!"

"Ugh... Th-This…" Fuuka stutters. "This... power… Too… much… I… can't…" Fuuka sees an image of a massive demon with the intimidating presence of an unholy god in her head and screams louder as it takes her consciousness in its hands and violently crush it, causing her to faint. Mitsuru rushes to her aid.

" **Yamagishi!** "

**xxx**

Meanwhile back inside the roof chamber, the aura and the quakes began to subside.

The black ball of fire in the middle of the room dies down to reveal Kazuma's new form as he slowly gets back on his feet. It's very similar to how he looked before, but his short shine silver jacket extends to become Nanashi's robe, his pants have turned into cloth, his scarf covers his mouth, turns into yellow flames, and grows out even longer, he wears silver and black metal claw gauntlets on both hands, his hair has turned white, his face has turned black, and his yellow eyes have become slit.

Yukari and the others are shocked by his new appearance.

"N-N-No… way," Yosuke says.

"I-Is this… for real?" Junpei asks.

"K-Kazuma? I-Is that… really him?" Yukari asks. The transformed Kazuma stands there for a second to examine himself, then picks up his guitar sword, the blade turning pitch black at his touch, and turns to Makima, who smirks.

"Hmph. That's it? That's all there is?! Ha ha ha ha ha! Wow, what a letdown! We thought you would look  **way**  more impressive than that!" Kazuma slowly points to Makima with his left hand, then gives them a big thumbs down, which angers them.

"What?! You think you're hot shit now?! You think you have the right to get cocky?! Hmph! We'll be happy to put you in your place again!" Kazuma shoots a narrow eyed glare at Makima as she prepares to attack.

**xxx**

Meanwhile in a staircase to the roof, a massive quake causes Aigis to fall over. The quaking doesn't cease.

"Ngh! What is this?!" Aigis recognizes the power that is causing the quake. It's the same power she sensed from Karito at the Junes stage. She slowly picks herself up and glares up the stairs.

"I… I have to… get it back!" She slowly walks up the stairs.

**xxx**

Back at the roof chamber, Makima furiously swings her lance and fires Zio and Bufu shots at Kazuma, who dodges and deflects all of her attacks. In the midst of her furious attack, he zooms behind her and roundhouse kicks her on the back of her head. She growls as she turns around and continues her barrage of attacks, which Kazuma dodges and deflects again. He turns around to spin back flip over her and shoots Maragi on top of her, providing a distraction for him to land a critical 4-hit combo.

"Hold still, you little shit!" she yells as she turns around and jumps into the air to try to impale Kazuma with her lance, which of course he dodges. What irritated the conjoined monster is the fact that he's actually dancing as he's fighting her, spinning and sliding with style as he dodge and kicking and twirling the guitar around as he blocks and counters.

Fed up with being toyed with, Makima jumps back a ways and charges her special attack. Kazuma stands there and beckons her over with his finger, which pisses her off even more.

"Drop dead!  _ **Makima Bolt!**_ " Makima hurls her lance at him. Kazuma quickly tosses the guitar into the air, cracks his knuckles, and spins around fast to catch the lance without feeling any pain, which shocks Makima. But not as much as him snapping her weapon in half by crushing it in his hand in an impressive show of strength. Kazuma shakes his head in disappointment.

"Tch! ... That all you got…?"

Kazuma catches the guitar and zooms over to and around Makima, grabbing her hand to spin her around. He lets go, leaving her dizzy, then starts laying the smack down on her, bashing her with the guitar, shooting magic at her, and leaving her no time to recover. Kazuma continues his vicious barrage of attacks on Makima before zooming in front of her and swinging the guitar all the way back.

"One murderous conjoined twin monster bitch: G _oiiiing_   **UP**!" He uses Garu on himself to perform back flip guitar uppercut strike on her chin to send her flying into ceiling.

_What kind of bullshit is this?!_  she thinks.  _He's just some damn rookie! How the hell is he this powerful?!_

As she begins to fall out her crater, he Garu jumps after her, twirls the guitar behind him with his right hand, and charges up for one final attack. The blade goes blunt like before and a spiky glowing black magic sound barrier covers the base. He shoots a fierce glare turns her as he flies past her falling body.

"Showtime's over, ladies!" Kazuma flips so that his feet touch the ceiling, then pushes himself off, goes plummeting after Makima, and winds up. Right before he swings, Nanashi's voice echoes in his head, as if cueing him.

" _ **End it.**_ "

Kazuma smirks as he delivers the final blow.

"...  _ **Shadow! Amp! BUSTER!!!**_ "

The heavy attack lets out a louder guitar boom and sends Makima crashing into a wall. When the smoke clears, Makima has returned to being Maki and Kima and Maki notices that Kima is unconscious.

"Kima!" Suddenly, Kirijo troops start rushing into the chamber. Maki wraps her cloak around them both and they magically disappear. Akihiko, Aigis, Labrys, and Rise come storming in, all of them shocked by Kazuma's appearance.

"What… what da hell is  **that**  suppose to be?!" Labrys asks. Kazuma slowly looks around, barely noticing the troops surrounding him, and sees that Yukari and the others are safe. He closes his eyes and sighs with relief. Extreme fatigue kicks in, forcing him to change back to his normal form, shocking Rise.

"Huh?! Kazuma-san?!" Kazuma drops the guitar, which reverts back to its normal form, then drops to the ground, unconscious from the strain his power dealt to his body.

"I… don't know what just happened…" Akihiko says. "But it looks like we have our man. Men!" Aigis, Labrys, and the troops close in on an unconscious Kazuma with their weapons pointed at him.

"Wait! Stop! Don't hurt him!" Rise rushes over to Kazuma to protect him.

"Huh? Rise-san?" Labrys says.

"You can't arrest him!" she barks. "He hasn't done anything wrong!" Akihiko just stands there.

"S-Senpai… she's right." Akihiko notices Yukari lying on the ground next to him.

"E-Earlier… he showed the symptoms… of someone who had just… awakened to their Persona," she struggles to say. "H-He couldn't have… sent that beacon... to them. Not on… purpose, anyway..."

"Yukari…" Akihiko hears the sound of Nanako and the hostages coming into the room.

"See?! He even helped us get Nanako-chan and everyone else to safety!" Rise shouts. "That should be proof enough that he's not one of them!" Akihiko thinks for a bit.

"Aigis, Labrys, men… stand down." Aigis turns to Akihiko. Suddenly, the tower starts to quake.

**xxx**

Meanwhile outside, the dark blue aura that turned Junes into a tower slowly seeped out of it, enabling the building to go back to its original form.

Mitsuru marches in with some medical staff and sees everyone that was inside gathered in front of the express lane.

"See to the injured immediately," she orders. The medical staff spread out. Mitsuru walks to Rise.

"Kujikawa, the boy behind you. I assume it's the one I spoke with, correct?" Rise nods. Akihiko turns to Mitsuru.

"He's also the one who sent out the beacon," he says. "But… Rise and Yukari have given me good enough reasons to trust him."

"Really."

"Yukari told me that he had just awakened to his powers as a Persona user while inside the tower," he says. "The shock wave he sent out must've been some kind of result of his power getting close to awakening. I don't think he lured them here on purpose."

"Interesting. And where are the targets?"

"Looks like they got away... again." Mitsuru closes her eyes, then smiles.

"Well… at least no one was too badly injured." Aigis stares at Kazuma before putting her finger guns away.

"Aigis." Aigis turns to Mitsuru.

"Mitsuru-san," she says. "It's good to see you again."

"You too. We'll catch up later. Right now, you should go with Yukari to the hospital." Aigis looks back at Kazuma before responding.

"...Understood." Aigis follows the people carrying Yukari on a stretcher.

"They said they were after him for some reason," Akihiko says to Mitsuru. Mitsuru looks at Kazuma.

"We'll have him put into protective custody until he has fully recovered," she says. "Afterwards, I will personally have talk with him. After all, we owe our many thanks." Mitsuru smiles.

"Kazuma Tenshi…" she thinks to herself. "I have a comforting feeling about you."

And so, the sun rose on the horizon of Iwatodai as the dreaded night at Junes came to an end. What is Maki and Kima's ultimate objective? Are there truly others out there working with them? What will Kazuma and his abnormal powers have to do with the ongoing Black Hours incident? Is this the start of the terrible trial that Igor spoke of in the Velvet Room?

A woman in a blue dress stands at the top of a building, looking down at the scene.

" _A Seeker of Truths... a Trickster of Chaos... Nine Anamolies of Creation, led by one whose songs can make waves in the Great Sea... When all their hearts and the hearts of their allies are united, they shall free the Messiah from his eternal slumber..."_ The woman smiles cheerfully with ancient tome in hand.

" _Hm hm hm._ I see… I do believe that my long journey is finally approaching its climax."

With the mysterious woman's magical disappearance, it seems that Kazuma Tenshi's struggles are just getting started.

* * *

_**Volume 1: End** _


End file.
